Scotland's space sector commits to being 'greener'
Orbex- Scotland's space sector has published a "roadmap" to make the industry more environmentally friendly
- The industry's commitments include using alternatives to toxic fuels
- It said some Scottish companies were already working on being more sustainable
- They include Edinburgh and Forres-based manufacturers
Scotland's space industry has committed to taking more actions to reduce its impact on the environment.
The newly-published Space Sustainability: A Roadmap for Scotland sets out plans to use alternatives to toxic fuels and develop reusable rockets.
The report said Scottish-based manufacturers were already working on "green propellants" for powering small rockets into space.
It said Edinburgh-headquartered Skyrora and Forres-based Orbex were repurposing waste from biodiesel production and using non-recyclable plastics to make fuel.
Skyrora is working towards launching satellites from a spaceport in Shetland, and Orbex from one in Sutherland.
The roadmap also includes a commitment to reduce space debris - fragments of broken old satellites and rockets littering Earth's orbit.
University of Strathclyde has been working on microsatellites with sensors for detecting and analysing how they fragment during atmospheric re-entry.
Space Scotland's Environmental Task Force, space strategy firm AstroAgency and Glasgow-based Optimat developed the strategy with funding from Scottish Enterprise.
