Emissions from Artificial Object Re-entries
Emissions tracker for objects re-entering the atmosphere since the start of the megaconstellation era. The Globe and Map views show the location and ID of each re-entry for the time windows, mission type, and object categories selected. Bars total the corresponding emissions and intact (unablated) mass.
For more information, see the FAQs at the bottom of the page.
Please select a date during 2020-2022 (2023-2024 will be released shortly). Large ranges may be slow to load.
Globe
Map
Bar
Re-entry Details
[Emissions in tonnes, time in UTC. SMC=Satellite Megaconstellation, Cat=Category, P=Payload, C=Component, B=Booster, S=Stage.]
| Date | ID | Time | Location | Name | Cat | SMC | Al2O3 | NOx | BC | HCl | Cl | Unablated Mass |
|---|
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are these chemicals?
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NOx is nitrogen oxides, BC is black carbon or soot, Al2O3 is aluminium oxide or alumina, and Cly is a family of chlorine compounds. NOx and Cly are released as gases, BC and Al2O3 as particles.
How do these chemicals affect the atmosphere?
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Re-entries release air pollutant emissions into the upper layers of the atmosphere, where they can have an outsized impact on our atmosphere and climate. NOx and Cly are the largest contributors to destruction of the ozone layer from rocket emissions, with smaller destruction occuring from emissions of BC and Al2O3 particles. The largest climate impacts come from BC emissions, which warm the upper layers of the atmosphere while cooling the lower layers.
What does each filter represent?
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Re-entry point allows users to filter for re-entering objects that are known and that we have had to approximate, as exact location data is not available. Known re-entries are further separated into Falcon and non-Falcon rocket and fairing re-entries. Object Type distinguishes individual re-entering objects as Payload (P), C=Component (C1), Booster (B1-B4), and rocket stage (S1-S4). Megaconstellation allows users to select re-entries that are or are not associated with megaconstellation missions.
How is this data calculated?
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Our calculations are based on the current best scientific knowledge available for emissions from object re-entries. We use object-specific ablation profiles to calculate alumina emissions from object re-entries, including all objects with an apogee above 50 km. Paths shown in the Globe view are fixed at the re-entry location and do not represent real object trajectories.
Where can I find the original methodology and data?
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You can find further details in our study published in Nature Scientific Data: Global 3D rocket launch and re-entry air pollutant and carbon dioxide emissions for 2020-2022. C. R. Barker, E. A. Marais (2024). doi:10.5522/04/26325382. [Data]. [Publication]
Developed by Connor Barker (UCL postdoc) and Eloise Marais (UCL PI), in collaboration with Jonathan McDowell (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics). Interested in using the data or spot any room for improvements? Please reach out to Connor Barker at connor.barker@ucl.ac.uk.
Funding Disclaimer: This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 851854). European Commission project page.