Emissions from Rocket Launches
Welcome to our tracker of pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions from rocket launches. Select a time window of interest to visualise pollution on a rotating globe, a static map, or a bar chart.
For more information, see the FAQs at the bottom of this page.
The time window available is for 3 years (2020-2022). We need your support to add more years and track emissions immediately after launches occur. Please donate to or share our GoFundMe page!
Select your time window of interest:
Globe
Map
Bar
Launch Information (emissions in tonnes, time in UTC). SMC = Satellite Megaconstellation.
| Date | ID | Time | Launch Site | Rocket | SMC | BC | CO | CO2 | H2O | Al2O3 | Cly | NOx |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are these chemicals?
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NOx is nitrogen oxides, H2O is water vapour, CO2 is carbon dioxide, BC is black carbon or soot, Al2O3 is aluminium oxide or alumina, and Cly is a family of chlorine compounds. NOx, H2O, CO2, and Cly are released as gases, BC and Al2O3 as particles.
How do these chemicals affect the atmosphere?
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Unlike man-made emissions from the surface of the Earth, rocket launches release air pollutant and CO2 emissions throughout 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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Launch site refers to the location of the rocket launch. Launch vehicle refers to the type of rocket used for the launch. Megaconstellation refers to whether the launch contains megaconstellation payloads.
How is this data calculated?
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Our calculations are based on the current best scientific knowledge available for emissions from rocket launches. We include the effects of a changing chemical environment with altitude in our launch emissions, and calculate emissions globally up to a maximum altitude of 80 km. Paths shown in the Globe view are fixed at the launch site and do not represent real rocket 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.