This essay examines several signals indicating increased interest in, funding of, and policy proposals aimed toward a greenification of the space sector, and includes a pair of forecast questions meant to serve as bellwethers of this greenification.

## The EU green deal

The [European Green Deal](https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/delivering-european-green-deal_en) is an EU policy initiative that targets reducing emissions 55% by 2030 and reaching zero net emissions and a climate-neutral continent by 2050 by adopting ambitious [climate](https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/climate-action-and-green-deal_en), [energy](https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/energy-and-green-deal_en), [transport](https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/transport-and-green-deal_en), and [industrial](https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/industry-and-green-deal_en) policies. 

One of the interrelated European Commission financial instruments is [Horizon 2020](https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/h2020-sections), coupling scientific research with industrial innovation to fund green-oriented public and private projects. And one of Horizon 2020’s areas of focus is [Space Technology](https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/h2020-section/space), facilitating the availability of numerous [government](https://ec.europa.eu/defence-industry-space/eu-space-policy/space-research-and-innovation/cassini_en#:~:text=CASSINI%20is%20European%20Commission's%20support,to%20market%20entry%20and%20growth.) and [privately-backed funds](https://www.esa.int/Applications/Telecommunications_Integrated_Applications/Venture_capital_available_for_space-based_companies) for science, research, and industrial activities, with these activities either directly related to space technology via the development of aerospace products (i.e., spacecraft, payloads, structures, or chemicals) or indirectly related through the use of “space data” harnessed to study and monitor, for example, climate change’s impacts on the environment.

## Investment

Evidence of movement toward space sector greening is competition among VC firms, especially [sustainability-focused firms](https://cyanreef.com/on-the-radar-sustainable-venture-capital-firms/), to back space-sector startups oriented toward green aerospace transportation solutions—including those companies still in the conceptual design and preliminary testing phases, such as Lilium Air Mobility.

[Lilium](https://lilium.com/jet), founded in 2015 by four young engineers and PhD students in Bayern, Germany, is currently developing electric urban aircraft, considered the first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet. [The first ‘maiden’ flight](https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/20/watch-liliums-successful-test-flight-of-the-worlds-first-electric-vtol-jet/) of the two-seater proof of concept model was made in April 2017, and that September the company raised [$90,000,000 in Series B fund](https://www.crunchbase.com/funding_round/lilium-aviation-series-b--bd3ac4ac)ing. Lilium drew a great deal of attention for its founder’s presentation to the German Chancellor Merkel [in the Digital-Gipfel 2018](https://evtol.news/news/lilium-draws-searing-publicity-then-soaring-investment), and since then the company has received funding to the tune of [$376.4M](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/lilium-aviation/company_financials). 

## Beyond reusability

Beyond transportation, space technology companies are contributing to green initiatives by studying climate change and conducting environmental monitoring from orbit, using Sustainable Launch Vehicles (SLVs) for space access, burning green fuel, and developing sustainable manufacturing techniques. Note here that the term “sustainable” in SLVs is distinct from “reusability”—as in Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs) like SpaceX’s Falcon rockets. Reusability is certainly an element of sustainability, but the technology currently emerging from research departments is driven toward sustainability at macro *and* micro scales. That is, from the early design and manufacturing of the smallest components that are utilizing recycled materials, carrying through the energy and material-saving manufacturing techniques, and then forward to their sustainable use, operation, and safe disposal. Here, operation and disposal are primarily and technically what distinguish SLVs from RLVs.

An example is the new spacecraft launch vehicle [MK-II Aurora](https://www.dawnaerospace.com/blog/mkii-flight-testing-commences) and the newer version DAWN MK-III (The so-called “Spaceplane”), which were designed and developed by DAWN Aerospace. DAWN’s Spaceplane is a typical example of idealistic sustainable spacecraft, in that it is designed to perform multiple spaceflights while delivering payloads (both orbitally and sub-orbitally), and to perform clean re-entry that leaves behind no space debris. Finally, and importantly, the MK-III uses High Test Peroxide (HTP) green propellant (along with hydrocarbons), making it a partially green-propelled vehicle.

## Green fuel

While it’s true that RLVs like SpaceX’s Falcon rockets or the MK-III are sustainable from an economic or commercial point of view, consider the propellants used, as well as the *space debris* and *space junk* left behind from the operations and disposal of the upper stages. It’s simply the case that for space-sector greenification, reusability is a sign of progress but is not sufficient.

Will we see a ban on environmentally hazardous Space Fuels? Ten years ago, the [toxic propellant hydrazine](https://echa.europa.eu/candidate-list-table/-/dislist/details/0b0236e1807da31d) was included in the list of substances of very high concern for authorization (SVHC) by [REACH regulation](https://echa.europa.eu/regulations/reach/legislation) of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Since then, hydrazine was almost successfully banned in Europe, incentivizing the exploration of alternative solutions, especially in the small satellites market. Outside of Europe, using hydrazine in space applications is more common, but there is now acknowledgement that propulsion systems and thrusters for various size-classes of spacecraft propulsion applications can be offered in one of two variations: toxic and green.

## Space technology and the study of climate change

Since the early days of spaceflight, NASA has led in studying the Earth’s lands, seas, and atmosphere all from orbit. These pioneering studies set the stage for more concerted study of the devastating effects of climate change, as during NASA’s earth science [missions.](https://climate.nasa.gov/nasa_science/missions/?page=0&per_page=40&order=title+asc&search=) And the European Space Agency (ESA) has had a historic role in similar [climate research activity](https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Space_for_our_climate/ESA_and_climate). More recently, we’ve seen great interest in small satellites and commercial applications for conducting environmental monitoring and studying climate change’s effects. 

Studying climate change using commercial satellites in this manner on-boards three very appealing technologies: 

1. Optical imagery data through multispectral and panchromatic sensors with post-data processing
2. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery products and commercial satellite constellations
3. Internet of Things (IoT) applied to environment-related applications

For example, innovation in the space of IoT satellite applications typically looks like connecting remote locations and surface stations (land or ocean) to data gathering and processing centers, which can be a land site, a vehicle in the desert, a ship in the ocean—or even migrating marine animals. And SAR technology has existed but it wasn’t until the last several years when it started to be effectively used by commercial and private entities. Here, commercially acquired data is in some cases being offered free-of-charge [for public](https://www.iceye.com/free-data/iceye-data-for-research) use involving scientific research and development, such as by commercial providers of SAR constellation data by the Finnish university spinoff company [ICEYE](https://www.iceye.com/persistent-monitoring). These applications are on the rise among space entrepreneurs and startups out of academia, and especially in Europe, as a result of the generous funding opportunities provided by the previously mentioned EU Green Deal policy initiatives. 

Is the space sector entering a new, more environmentally conscious era? For this essay, we will look to proposals to ban the aforementioned propellant hydrazine in the US and the EU evidence in this direction: