--- title: "SpaceX Rocket Fumes “Hazardous to Humans” and the Climate, Scientists Warn" description: "It looks like the exhaust fumes from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets (and others like it) are actually super toxic to humans — and to the planet we call home. " date: "2022-05-20" modified: "2022-05-20" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-rocket-fumes-toxic" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "blue origin" - "rockets" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" - "virgin atlantic" --- # SpaceX Rocket Fumes “Hazardous to Humans” and the Climate, Scientists Warn ![It looks like the exhaust fumes from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets (and others like it) are actually super toxic to humans — and to the planet we call home. ]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Exhausting It looks like the exhaust fumes from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets (and others like it, including Blue Origin) are actually toxic to humans — and to the planet we call home. A new [paper in the journal *Physics of Fluids*]() details how researchers digitally modeled the type of fumes that come from rockets like those made by SpaceX, Blue Origin, and other private rocket manufacturers — and their conclusions are pretty grim. "We believe that the problem of atmospheric pollution caused by rocket launches is vital," the Cyprus' University of Nicosia research team wrote, "and needs to be addressed appropriately as commercial space flights, in particular, are expected to increase in the future." ## Clean It Up Each launch using RP-1 rocket fuel, like SpaceX's Falcon 9, produces large amounts of carbon gases and nitrogen oxides. Per the modeling done by the Cyprus team, the noxious fumes released by ascending rocket launches would be considered "hazardous to human health" per [guidelines set by the World Health Organization](). In an email statement to [*Business Insider* pegged to the study](), a Blue Origin spokesperson said its New Shepard rocket is "fueled by highly efficient and clean liquid oxygen and hydrogen" and only has "water vapor with no carbon emissions" as a byproduct. Futurism has reached out to SpaceX for comment but has not yet heard back. The looming issue, of course, is that commercial space companies — and particularly SpaceX — are working to scale rocket launches up to an astonishing degree. If that's going to pose a major environmental and health issue, better to learn that now. **READ MORE:** [Atmospheric pollution from rockets]() \[*Physics of Fluids*\] **More on rockets:** *[Journalists Slam NASA for Lack of Transparency Behind Moon Rocket Prelaunch]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()