Evaluating the Impact of HCL Atmospheric Dispersion caused by an Aborted Rocket Launch in different Stability Conditions

Abstract

An aborted rocket launch may occur because of explosions during pre-launch operations or launch performance, which generates a huge cloud near ground level comprising hot buoyant exhaust products. This action occur within a few minutes, and populated areas near the launch centre may be exposed to high levels of hazardous pollutant concentrations within a short time scale — from minutes to a couple of hours. Although aborted rocket launch events do not occur frequently, the occurrence rate has increased in the past few years, making it mandatory to perform short and long-range assessments to evaluate the impact of such operations on the air quality of a region. In this work, we use a modern approach based on the Model for Simulating the Rocket Exhaust Dispersion (MSRED) and its modelling system to report the simulated impact of a hydrogen chloride (HCl) exhaust cloud, formed during a hypothetical aborted rocket launch, on the atmosphere near the earth’s surface at the Alcantara Launch Center, Brazil’s space-port. The results show that when a launch occurs under stable atmospheric conditions, the HCl concentrations near the ground can reach levels that are extremely hazardous to human health.