A comparative Life Cycle Assessment of several fuel types used in a medium-capacity satellite launch

Recent developments and the growing interest in space exploration and tourism have led to a significant increase in the number of launches, which requires a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impact of these activities. The case study is performed using a life cycle assessment-based approach, in compliance with the ISO 14040/14044, focusing on four most commonly used propellants in the space exploration sector: kerosene, liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen, hydrazine-based monopropellant, and liquid methane. The assessment is performed using a cradle-to-launch approach, which highlights the hotspots of the environmental impacts caused by each propellant in their life cycles up to the launch phase, and addresses the current gap in research where the phases of propellant production and its loading are often disregarded. To address this issue, a comparative life cycle assessment of four propellant systems was performed using SimaPro, with secondary data acquired from available databases. The propellants are subsequently evaluated and compared based on their environmental impacts across all impact categories, with the focus on global warming impact and stratospheric ozone depletion.