Science / Medicine : Rockets Blamed for Ozone Loss

Exhaust from space shuttle and other rocket launches makes the government one of the biggest contributors to ozone depletion, an environmental group charged last week.

“Each launch of the space shuttle or the Air Force’s Titan IV does more to deplete the fragile ozone layer . . . than the annual ground-level emissions of chlorofluorocarbons from most individual (industrial) plants,” the report by the National Toxics Campaign Fund of Boston said.

Shuttle launches are exempt from air safety regulations, and unless they can be brought into compliance, NASA should be forced to abandon solid rocket fuel, the report said. Space shuttles and Titan IV rockets are propelled by solid rocket fuel, which produces exhaust that causes environmental damage.

The European Space Agency’s Ariane rocket and the Soviet Energia rocket use liquid fuel, which the report said is less damaging.