Hydrogen Peroxide as an Oxidiser for Medium-Lift Launch Vehicles: A Performance and Integration Analysis

Cryogenic and semi-cryogenic propellants are the most commonly used liquid propellants for applications in medium-lift launch vehicles. Despite their high performance, the storage requirements for these propellants often lead to complex, heavy, and voluminous structures. The only storable propellant used in medium-lift launch vehicles, UDMH/NTO,...

Life cycle sustainability of novel monopropellant systems: A comparative LCSA of a LEO minisatellite case study

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...

Novel Drop Test Set-Up For Hypergolic Testing: Developing a drop test set-up to characterize the performance of TNO’s HTP/ethanol hypergolic propellant combination

An ambient drop test set-up was developed and used to obtain data about the hypergolic performance of TNO's novel hypergolic propellant combination. Said propellant combination was found to have an ignition delay time of 50 ms before further optimization, making it a promising candidate to replace the current toxic state-of-the-art hypergolic...

Long-life HTP depot refuelling interface: A preliminary investigation

Highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide, known as high-test peroxide (HTP), is widely regarded as a greener and safer alternative to traditional hypergolic fuels. A recent development demonstrated the<br/>potential to manufacture HTP in-orbit, bypassing prolonged storage challenges associated with the substance. This sparked interest in...

Feasibility study of additive manufacturing techniques applicable to resistojet propulsion systems

The use of additive manufacturing (AM) can potentially offer significant benefits to the design and performance of resistojet components but has so far only seen limited research in this application. The goal of this study was to investigate the possibility of 3D printing a functional resistojet heating chamber and the potential benefits that...

In-orbit Refuelling with Hydrogen Peroxide: An Architecture and Transfer Mechanism

The current state of in-orbit refuelling involves launching propellant from the Earth’s surface in a single use refuelling craft, often to transfer hydrazine to the customer. This method is a logical first step however this architecture is not reusable, and it centres around a toxic and carcinogenic propellant. An architecture is proposed where...

Thermal ignition system for green rocket propulsion: Experimental study on thermal ignition of high concentration hydrogen peroxide and ethanol propellant

With hydrazine on the list of "substances of very high concern" by the European Chemicals Agency; hence alternative (storable) liquid rocket propellants are being developed which are less hazardous. During this feasibility study, experiments have been performed with a thermal ignition system in combination with hydrogen peroxide and ethanol as...

Hydrocarbon Seeded ABS - Nitrous Hybrid Engine Development: Experimental Validation of an Analytical Design Tool

After the breakup of the Stratos III vehicle, inertial roll coupling was pinpointed to be the root cause. In order to battle the problem a propulsive roll control system was suggested to keep the roll rate under acceptable bounds. A restartable hybrid rocket engine using nitrous oxide and ABS plastic was proposed. 27 tests have been performed of...

Highly concentrated H2O2 preparation, stabilization and decomposition over manganese oxide-based catalysts for space propulsion

High concentration hydrogen peroxide (HP) promises to be an economical and green alternative for hydrazine. However, it has only limited storage life, and addition of stabilizers must be avoided to preserve the high purity required for propellants. This work has investigated the mechanical fastening of normally dissolved stabilizers on the...

Cryogenic H2 and O2 propellant refuelling & transfer infrastructure in space

Research and Development of a Combined Fuel Cell and Satellite Thruster System: Using Novel Hydrogen Peroxide Decomposition Techniques

Various different challenges are being faced in the space industry, concerning the increased difficulty level of missions that are planned, down-scaling of the satellites and especially considering the toxicity of fuels used in the spacecraft. To systematically tackle these problems, requirements are set for a ‘CubeSat’ sized satellite for which...

Prototype X: A Cost-Based Design Optimization of an Upper Stage Liquid Propulsion Module with Green-Storable Propellants

This paper investigates the cost­-benefit, payload performance and technical feasibility of green storable upper stage design concepts on their potential implementation with existing launchers. Since the demand for reliable, safe, and cost­-effective transport to space is growing, it is necessary to find sustain­able rocket propellant solutions....

Preliminary design of a rocket-based combined cycle engine for application aboard Mk-II Aurora suborbital spaceplane

The rocket-based combined cycle (RBCC) engines are a hybrid between rocket and air-breathing propulsion. They can offer performance gains when compared to traditional rocket engines. At the same time, they are relatively simple in design. Therefore, they generally do not require long development times or large funds so they could be an...

A Novel Green Hybrid Hypergolic Bi-propellant with Viscoelastic Nature of the Fuel

This thesis report is written as part of the Master Aerospace Engineering - Space Flight of the Delft University of Technology. The thesis was started in November 2020 and completed by June 30, 2021. The space industry is dominated by traditional highly toxic propellants, namely hydrazine. Due to its carcinogenic nature, REACH makes provisions...

Novel and Green Hypergolic Bi- Propellant System for Propulsion Application

Some propellants currently used in space propulsion have the disadvantage of being dangerous to humans and the environment. A wellknown example of this are hydrazine and its derivatives which are toxic, corrosive, and carcinogenic. These disadvantages have led to a search for less hazardous storable liquid propellants, often referred to as green...

The design and testing of an injector for anadvanced hypergolic dual-mode propulsionsystem

An important topic in the field of rocket propulsion is the development of a new green advanced hypergolic rocket propulsion system. The current hypergolic propellants have one large drawback, namely the toxic properties. The injector has a crucial role in the performance of a liquid engine. Therefore, the next step in the development of this...

Transient Thermal Modelling of Cooling Methods in Green Bi-Propellant Thrusters for CubeSat Applications: A numerical and experimental comparison of regenerative cooling and radiation cooling in a CubeSat scale propulsion system

The Dutch/New Zealand based aerospace company Dawn aerospace has developed a 0.5N green bi-propellant propulsion system for use in CubeSat applications called the PM200. This thruster uses gaseous nitrous oxide and propylene as propellants. Currently, the burn time of this thruster is limited to 10 seconds after which cool down of the thruster...

Design of a modular one Newton hydrogen peroxide monopropellant thruster, including feed system and test setup

Hydrogen peroxide has been around as rocket propellant for several decades. It was popular as monopropellant in reaction control thrusters, until the discovery and technical viability of Hydrazine. However, in 2011 the European Commission has added Hydrazine to its candidate list of "substances of very high concern" in its Registration of...