Hoo-Rizon 1: Subscale Sounding Rocket; The Environmental Impacts of Suborbital Space Tourism: A Case Study on Blue Origin and its Mitigation Efforts

Technical Project Abstract The purpose of this senior capstone project was to design, build, and launch a single-stage, subscale sounding rocket. The primary goals were to reach a target apogee of 3,000 ft and successfully recover the launch vehicle and its recorded atmospheric data. Various design reviews were conducted throughout the academic year to demonstrate progress to a panel of advisors and external reviewers. The 15 person team was divided into three subteams: avionics, aerobody, and propulsion. I was on the avionics team which was responsible for interfacing with and incorporating several sensors, a radio, and altimeters into the rocket’s avionics bay. We created a custom PCB to interface with the sensors. In addition, we designed and implemented a CO2 ejection system, a parachute release system, live sensor data, and a livestream into the rocket. Lastly, we built the physical avionics bay to house all of these subsystems and integrated it into the rocket. On April 5th, 2025, our team launched the rocket at Tripoli Rocketry Association just outside of Culpeper, Virginia. However, we experienced a recovery failure and the parachute did not deploy, so we were unable to recover sensor or camera data. We believe the parachute did not deploy because the force experienced at launch dislodged the wire connecting the altimeter to its power source. The altimeter is the rocket’s “flight computer” and is responsible for sending a current spike that sparks e-matches when it detects the rocket has reached apogee. When these e-matches go off, they trigger the CO2 ejection system and the rocket separates, deploying the parachute. Despite this setback, we were able to learn a lot in problem solving, structural analysis, and avionics and became the first capstone at the university to successfully launch a homemade rocket, successfully setting the groundwork for future capstone projects. STS Project Abstract The space tourism industry offers the chance to leave Earth’s atmosphere, experience weightlessness, and consider themselves astronauts to those who can afford a ticket. One aspect of space tourism that is often overlooked is its environmental consequences, specifically on the atmosphere. While the industry accounts for minimal ozone depletion now, as launches become more commonplace it is expected to have a significant impact. This STS project aims to answer the following question: What are the environmental consequences of space tourism on the Earth’s atmosphere and in what ways are these being mitigated specifically by Blue Origin? I used Actor Network Theory (ANT) to investigate this question and see how existing spacecrafts and propulsion systems, government regulators and policymakers, environmentalists, and space tourists interact to shape space tourism at Blue Origin in an environmental context. I chose to focus on Blue Origin because the corporation prides itself on being environmentally conscious. The company uses a hydrogen engine whose main emission is water vapor compared to competitors using common hydrocarbon propellants such as kerosene or methane that emit harmful black carbon. I also found that there is currently a lack of policy regulating rocket emissions. As the space tourism industry grows, I recommend that other space tourism companies adopt a hydrogen engine because its emissions are less harmful to the atmosphere. Additionally, passing legislation will help mitigate the industry’s environmental impacts and the general public and environmentalists are responsible for advocating for this legislation. STS and Technical Project Connection Both my technical and STS projects relate to designing and launching rockets. For my technical project, my team and I designed and built a sounding rocket that reached an altitude of around 3,000 ft. This is a very elementary version of rockets used for more advanced purposes like manned missions to space. Our rocket carried a payload and was full of sensors that gathered telemetry data such as temperature, pressure, humidity, and imagery. Rockets used in space tourism contain a human payload and are filled with a much more complex series of sensors. Similarly, there are many legal precautions in place surrounding both model rockets and manned rockets because of the high risk inherent to rocketry. For our launch, we had to travel to Tripoli Rocketry Association’s launch site where we were only able to ascend up to 4,000 ft with the supervision of a qualified rocketeer. Additionally, we were not allowed to handle the engine as per the University of Virginia’s Environmental Health and Safety Department and had to assemble it on site. In terms of space tourism, there are countless policies that companies must follow on their launches to ensure the health and safety of both the occupants and the general public. In my project, I discuss the regulations surrounding rocket emissions.