Methanol combustion in space applications within an environment enriched with radiatively participating suppressing agent such as CO2 has been investigated. Nitrogen in the oxidizer stream (air) has been replaced by CO2, while the oxygen mass fraction has been kept constant (0.23). Numerical results are obtained using a predictive, transient, two-phase, axisymmetric numerical model that includes surface tension effects and a radiation model based on optically thin approximation. Product species such as CO2 and H2O are considered as the radiating species. Results for combustion in a nearly quiescent (initial Reynolds number 0.01), CO2 enriched atmosphere (replacing N2 in air with CO2 from 20% to 70%) and initial droplet diameters in the range of 0.8 mm to 1.55 mm are presented. Extinction diameter for a given initial droplet diameter increases with increasing %CO2. Linear variation of the extinction diameter with initial diameter of the droplet becomes non-linear with increasing CO2 in the oxidizer stream (when CO2 is greater than approximately 20%). © 2009 Combustion Institute. All rights reserved.