Recently, the world has seen a steep rise in space launches as billionaires send crucial infrastructure, such as satellites, into orbit. But new research reveals all those launches could be leading to severe damage to the Ozone Layer – just as it was beginning to repair.

Space travel has long held a noble purpose: the act of discovery, pushing the limits of human endurance, and revealing new frontiers.

But as space launches become more frequent, researchers have discovered that repeatedly punching through the atmosphere with burning rocket fuel might not be great for the planet.

Yes, the Ozone Layer. For anyone who loves an ’80s throwback, saving the Ozone Layer was essentially Gen X Climate Change.

In the 1980s, scientists noticed that the Ozone Layer – a shield in the Earth’s stratosphere that protects us by absorbing most of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation – was being depleted due to human activity.

CFCs were a massive part of everyday life, used in everything from fridges and air conditioners to aerosol cans. But with fears a damaged Ozone would lead to a sharp increase in skin cancer, the chemicals were banned, and the Ozone Layer began to heal.  But that was before the rise of commercial spaceflight.

Space launches have increased dramatically in recent years. In 2019, there were 102 launches. Five years later, that figure more than doubled. And projections have them increasing exponentially; hitting 2,000 launches per year would thin the layer by up to 3 per cent, with the worst of it over Antarctica.

So, with experts ringing the alarm bells, will the world’s spacefaring billionaires take heed, or will they march onwards with their holy mission?