The project “Assessment of High Performance Green Propellants” is carried by the Department of Space Technologies of the Institute of Aviation together with Thales Alenia Space Poland (the prime contractor), Institute of Industrial Organic Chemistry and Thales Alenia Space France, commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA).
Chemicals, such as: hydrazine and its derivatives, nitrogen tetroxide, recently used in space propulsion systems, are toxic. Their handling requires special safety measures for personnel. Any potential leakage during storage or transportation makes a threat for natural environment. Activities, aiming at discovering and synthesizing new chemicals and their mixtures promising to replace toxic propellants, have been carried out since decades.
HPGP is intended to research and preliminary testing of green liquid rocket propellants even more attractive, by means of propulsive performance, to recently used toxic chemicals.
This activity is competitive to other similar initiatives, carried by many entities in the world, which have already developed propellants, such as LMP-103S and NOFBX.
Project leader: Paweł Surmacz, PhD Eng.
Phone: (+ 48) 22 846 00 11 ext. 496
E-mail: pawel.surmacz[at]ilot.lukasiewicz.gov.pl
Date: 2017-2018
Funding institution: ESA
Programme: EXPRO+
