I’m joined by sustainability engineer Alessandra Capurro for an expanding conversation on the space industry and the role that it plays in conservation and environmental sustainability. Alessandra is currently completing her master’s thesis and working with the European Southern Observatory to integrate more sustainable practices into their day-to-day operations.

We met on an expedition cruise to Antarctica and while we were there, we discussed the paradoxical tension between wanting to research these untapped environments, but doing it in a diesel-fueled vessel. There’s a parallel argument happening in the aerospace industry, because there is so much research and data about sustainable development from space, but at the same time, one rocket launch produces up to 300 tons of carbon dioxide into the upper atmosphere. The whole process can feel counterproductive, so I wanted to learn more about it from Alessandra’s perspective.

Alessandra explains the cycle of space debris, how it happens, and what the implications of this type of pollution are. She highlights startups like ClearSpace that are working on technology to grab inactive satellites and debris from the atmosphere and safely recycle it here on Earth. We touch on the shift in leadership values with newer generations, the downfall of industries who rely on the assumption of infinite resources, and the value in making personal choices to reduce your carbon emissions.

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