Sustainable SpaceX rockets: Elon Musk wants to use atmospheric carbon dioxide as fuel

Elon Musk wants to make the contest to conquer space a crusade to save the planet from the consequences of climate change. The CEO of Tesla has proposed extract carbon dioxide from the earth’s atmosphere and use it as fuel for SpaceX rockets. A curious way to apply the Rule of the Three Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle).

The richest man in the world, and Person of the Year according to the magazine Time, has made his project public through his favorite social network, Twitter. In the message posted on his official account, Musk also assures that the use of greenhouse gases will be key to boost human-manned trips to Mars, like the one he expects to take place in 2026.

SpaceX is starting a program to take CO2 out of atmosphere & turn it into rocket fuel. Please join if interested.

?? Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 13, 2021

There is no sign that the replacement of conventional fuel by reused carbon dioxide will take place in the near future. This is because the manufacture of this type of fuel requires a technology, the direct air capture (DAC), which is in its early stages of development. Today, the world’s largest DAC plant is located in Iceland and is designed to extract 4,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year.

Until that project sees the light of day, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets will continue to be powered by kerosene, a fuel that emits numerous chemicals into the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, when burned, according to reports The Guardian.

More than $ 8.2 billion in taxes

In just six weeks, Elon Musk has sold nearly $ 13 billion in stock and this may lead to him paying the largest tax quota in United States history. At the highest federal tax rate of 37%, Musk would have to pay more than $ 8.2 billion in taxes, according to the magazine’s calculations. Forbes.

A bill that could increase even more if California, the state where he resided until 2020, decides to tax the CEO of Tesla for what he earned before moving to Texas. Also, you may have to pay tax on net investment income, which is 3.8%. Between state and federal taxes, the figure to be paid by Musk could be multiplied by two, up to around 16,500 million dollars.

This figure contrasts with that of previous years. While it is true that the founder of SpaceX paid $ 455 million in federal income taxes between 2014 and 2018, the grants, government incentives and discounts received by his companies have allowed Musk to significantly reduce the amount to be paid.