Space sustainability: from dark skies to envisioning a future for space launches

Speaker: Dr Michele Bannister 
Affiliation: University of Canterbury

Abstract

The rapid industrialization of the near-Earth environment, through the scale-up of both launch and orbital activity, is changing our sky. Our chemistry-climate modelling shows accelerating launch rates would drive changes in stratospheric ozone – I’ll discuss ways the aerospace industry could adapt. Aotearoa New Zealand’s dark skies are some of the best remaining on the planet, yet are now showing the effects of both domestic light pollution and satellite constellation build-out. The intersection between astronomy, policy and space law as a result of this rapid space industrialisation may lead us to an aspirational future – or one where major observatories, such as Rubin Observatory, have to devise ever-evolving strategies in order to cope.