The race to space continues, with the number of rockets launched increasing every year.

Most of these send satellites into orbit. A smaller number are for defence operations, space exploration and space tourism.

Australia has two existing rocket-launch facilities: the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in North Queensland and the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia.

Australian aerospace company Southern Launch, the operator of the Koonibba Test Range, has proposed a new coastal rocket-launch facility for Whalers Way on SA’s Eyre Peninsula. Over in Western Australia, the state government has thrown its support behind plans to build a spaceport across multiple sites.

Space facilities are often built in areas rich in wildlife, including many species already under threat from habitat destruction, climate change and H5N1 bird flu.

That raises the question: how can we explore space without harming ecosystems on Earth?

When rockets and nature collide

Rocket-launch facilities are typically built in coastal or desert areas away from human populations. This is to protect people from excess noise, falling debris and uncontrolled explosions from failed launches.

Given Australia’s coastal areas are home to a spectacular array of plants and animals, this creates a potential conflict between rocket launches and nearby nature. The proposed Whalers Way facility, for instance, would be........

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