[MrDresden]

In some way I am happy that we have these billionaires playing an appendix measuring contest over which of their space ventures will be first/best/else in space.

These are not easy not cheap problems to solve. So let them pour their money into it.

I would gladly also accept a new company into the race that has altruistic motives guiding it.

Just have a hard time believing it.

[Jyaif]

I'd be happier if they measured their appendix by how much CO2 they are pumping out of the atmosphere.

[MrDresden]

Space launches account for negligible amount of the CO2 emissions at present time compared to the total that our society emits.

There is obviously the very strong likelyhood that number of launches will continue to grow, to a point where this will become a major issue.

There is however a financial incentive to lower the fuel consumption as much as possible in these rockets, which I believe will push these companies to do so. But only to a degree.

Hopefully human kind will be able to use something akin to mass drivers or a space based gravity hook to launch loads without exhaust in the future.

But in the meantime we will need to emit something.

[eurasiantiger]

How do you know they don’t?

I think you meant to imply an inverse relationship.