[CPEO-MEF] "No Free Launch" - 1990

[Lenny Siegel <Lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

I found the published version of "No Free Launch,” which I wrote for the National Toxics Campaign Fund in 1990.

Written in 1990: The manufacture, testing, launching, and dismantling of rockets, whether built for space science, commercial functions, or warfare, is a toxic business. Before the U.S. considers of any new space ventures, our government must carry out an objective, comprehensive evaluation of the environmental impact of the entire space business, reviewing the pollution caused by rockets, their components, and their propellants, from cradle to grave.

I’ve scanned and posted the full report at http://www.cpeo.org/pubs/NoFreeLaunch.pdf

Lenny

> On Aug 22, 2025, at 8:31 PM, Lenny Siegel <LSiegel@cpeo.org> wrote:
> 
> This reminds me of a report, “No Free Launch,” that I wrote in 1990. I am attaching a draft. I’ll see if can find the final version.
> 
> Lenny
> 
> <No Free Launch draft.pdf>
> 
>> On Aug 22, 2025, at 8:16 PM, Lenny Siegel <Lsiegel@cpeo.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Scientists call for action to address air pollution from space launches
>> Satellite mega-constellation missions behind threefold increase in emissions of climate-altering soot and CO2
>> 
>> By Gary Fuller
>> Guardian
>> August 22, 2025
>> 
>> Scientists are calling for a new global regime to address air pollution caused by the space industry.
>> 
>> Prof Eloise Marais’s team at University College London (UCL) began trackingspace activities in 2020. Their latest figures reveal 259 rocket launches in 2024, and 223 launches in 2023. These burned more than 153,000 tonnes of fuel.
>> 
>> Marais said: “More pollutants are being released into the atmosphere from rockets and satellites than ever before. We’re in uncharted territory, as humans have never added this much pollution to the upper layers of the atmosphere. If left unregulated, it may have serious impacts on Earth’s atmosphere.”
>> 
>> The team found that launches of mega-constellation communication satellites, including Starlink, OneWeb and Thousand Sails, have led to a threefold increase in emissions of climate-altering soot and carbon dioxide.
>> 
>> …
>> 
>> For the entire article, see
>> https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/22/scientists-call-for-action-air-pollution-space-launches
>> 
>> —
>> 
>> Lenny Siegel
>> Executive Director
>> Center for Public Environmental Oversight
>> A project of the Pacific Studies Center
>> LSiegel@cpeo.org
>> P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
>> Voice/Fax: 650-961-8918
>> http://www.cpeo.org
>> Author: DISTURBING THE WAR: The Inside Story of the Movement to Get Stanford University out of Southeast Asia - 1965–1975 (See http://a3mreunion.org)
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Military mailing list
>> Military@lists.cpeo.org
>> http://lists.cpeo.org/listinfo.cgi/military-cpeo.org
> 
> —
> 
> Lenny Siegel
> Executive Director
> Center for Public Environmental Oversight
> A project of the Pacific Studies Center
> LSiegel@cpeo.org
> P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
> Voice/Fax: 650-961-8918
> http://www.cpeo.org
> Author: DISTURBING THE WAR: The Inside Story of the Movement to Get Stanford University out of Southeast Asia - 1965–1975 (See http://a3mreunion.org)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Military mailing list
> Military@lists.cpeo.org
> http://lists.cpeo.org/listinfo.cgi/military-cpeo.org

—

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
A project of the Pacific Studies Center
LSiegel@cpeo.org
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650-961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org
Author: DISTURBING THE WAR: The Inside Story of the Movement to Get Stanford University out of Southeast Asia - 1965–1975 (See http://a3mreunion.org)




_______________________________________________
Military mailing list
Military@lists.cpeo.org
http://lists.cpeo.org/listinfo.cgi/military-cpeo.org