Study shows how rocket launches pollute the atmosphere

Here’s something that blew my mind — rocket launches might be doing more environmental damage than we thought. According to Bob Berwyn from Inside Climate News, a recent study reveals that rocket debris from SpaceX’s Falcon rocket not only crashes back to Earth but actually leaves a trail of toxic pollution up in the upper atmosphere, around 80 to 110 kilometers high. What’s wild is that researchers managed to trace and measure this debris, marking the first time we’ve seen concrete proof of space craft disintegrating in that region. Now, here's where it gets interesting — this part of the atmosphere influences ozone and climate processes, and human activity has traditionally had little impact there. But with more commercial space flights, experts warn we're unintentionally polluting this fragile zone. As Berwyn reports, these emissions could alter atmospheric chemistry in ways we don’t yet fully understand. So what does this mean for us? It’s a wake-up call that space isn’t just the final frontier — it’s also becoming a new frontier for pollution that could affect our climate down here.