Second Space Capacity Allocation For The Sustainability Of Space Activities Workshop

Long-term environmental impact mitigation strategies for transatlantic launcher transport

Not scheduled

20m

Politecnico di Milano

Towards the integration of all the open aspects in space sustainability

Speaker

Marie Delaroche (MaiaSpace)

Description

Transatlantic transport constitutes a significant environmental hotspot in the life cycle of launch vehicles. This study evaluates key mitigation strategies for MaiaSpace's logistics operations between Le Havre (Metropolitan France) and Kourou (French Guiana), as projections show that logistics activities will account for approximately 30% of MaiaSpace’s total climate change impact by 2033 (excluding the launch phase). We analyzed the cumulative environmental benefits of rideshare with the Canopée cargo vessel equipped with wind-assisted propulsion, operational speed optimisation & transport planning consolidation, and sustainable biofuel adoption. Avoided impacts from the combined mitigation strategies were calculated using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies, accounting for Well-to-Wake emissions, land-use change impacts and biogenic CO₂ treatment.
Four fuel configurations with custom LCA models were evaluated, both in terms of bunkering feasibility and environmental gains: B20 (20% FAME blended with 80% MDO), B100 (100% FAME bio-diesel), HVO30 (30% HVO blended with 70% MDO), and HVO100 (100% Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil).

This study will present the preliminary environmental analysis results (and associated recommendations) put in perspective with the MaiaSpace launcher LCA. We will highlight the GHG reduction potentials associated with transitioning towards biofuel bunkering for Canopée, distinguishing between pure biofuels and blended fuels which offer transitional compatibility advantages. Regulatory compliance considerations (specifically FuelEU Maritime regulation and EU Emissions Trading System) and feedstock competition with other sectors were also taken into account, to evaluate long-term economic viability beyond immediate fuel price comparisons.

While feedstock competition and current pricing constrain near-term deployment, this study finds that waste-based biofuels represent a viable long-term decarbonization pathway for aerospace transatlantic logistics, while remaining increasingly competitive under FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS regulatory frameworks.