Life cycle sustainability of novel monopropellant systems

A comparative LCSA of a LEO minisatellite case study

Master thesis (2024)

Authors

P.J.S. Deroo Aerospace Engineering

Contributors

B.V.S. Jyoti Space Systems Egineering (supervisor 1)
Andrew R. Wilson (supervisor 2)
Faculty
Aerospace Engineering
Copyright: © 2024 Pepijn Deroo
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Published Date

23-01-2024

Language

English

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Faculty

Aerospace Engineering

Abstract

For over 50 years, hydrazine has been the industry standard for monopropellant propulsion systems, widely used in satellite attitude and orbit control systems. However, hydrazine’s toxicity necessitates expensive handling procedures and may lead to a future ban of the propellant in Europe. This has motivated the development of novel monopropellants, featuring reduced toxicity compared to hydrazine. Separately, life cycle assessments (LCAs) are becoming increasingly prevalent in the space industry. As very few assessments have been made so far for monopropellant systems, this thesis performs a comparative life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) of a hydrazine and three novel monopropellant systems for a single use case, evaluating the environmental, economic and social sustainability of each. This research provides new insights into the life cycle impact of the differences between the various propulsion systems and identifies hotspots in each sustainability dimension, informing a more sustainable development of novel monopropellant systems in the future.