Spain’s Tekniker is working with ESA on a piece of equipment that could help make future Mars missions more economical. To survive on Mars, future colonists will need to use all available resources as efficiently as possible. This also means recycling wherever possible, and for travel between Earth and Mars, in time the fuel for spacecraft return journeys should be produced on Mars.
Next year, the Swiss national airline will also start buying sustainable jet fuel made from solar energy and carbon dioxide extracted from the atmosphere.
Airbus and CFM International have agreed to jointly produce a hydrogen propulsion technology demonstrator for testing the very first A380, production serial MSN001. The aim of the project is to test the technology for ZeroE aircraft, initially on the ground and then in flight. The first ZeroE aircraft are scheduled to enter service by 2035.
Rolls-Royce’s team in Hungary, Italian aircraft manufacturer Tecnam and Austrian engine manufacturer Rotax have made significant progress in revolutionising aviation and making it more sustainable. Following several successful ground tests, a unique hybrid-powered experimental aircraft took to the skies for the first time on 21 December 2021, the first in the world to be powered by an integrated parallel hybrid propulsion system.
According to the head of a company developing alternative propulsion, the development of hydrogen fuel cells is moving too slowly, so they will not be able to use the technology in the next generation of zero-emission vehicles.
When will we be able to board a plane with a clear conscience about the environmental impact of our journey? Aviation is responsible for 2.8% of global carbon emissions. According to the CNN article, many airlines have already vowed to create a future of carbon-neutral aviation, and the first electric planes have already been built, if only in the short term.