



Scientsts at Russian Research Centre for Applied Chemistry have developed a new, environmentally friendly mono fuel for missiles, called “green” fuel. Their findings will be presented at the end of January during Academic readings in Moscow. Working for Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, the enterprise has launched a pilot production plant expected to produce up to 100 kg of such fuel per year. According to scientists, green fuel is suitable for thermo-catalytic engines of small thrust, in particular for orbiters, and can be considered a relevant alternative to the unstable and highly toxic hydrazine, which is typically used as rocket fuel.





The new environmentally friendly mono fuel has a high specific impulse, high density and low freezing point. It is also characterized by a high level of fire and explosion safety and a low threshold of sensitivity to external influences. It is noted that the production costs of the green fuel are comparable to those of pure hydrazine.





Green fuel has a number of advantages, say the researchers, including low toxicity (among the four classes of hazardous substance ranking in Russia, green fuel is in the third class, and hydrazine is in the first); a high-energy-specific volume impulse thrust that is 1.5 times more than that of hydrazine; and a high density of 1.35 grams per cubic centimeter. It also has a low freezing point, -870 degrees Celsius.





According to the developers of the fuel, mono fuel has a variety of uses, including rocket and space technology for engines of the booster modules, gas-generating installations, engine devices of UAVs, as well as engines of space vehicles -- including those that are part of the Moon's development program. The test runs with green fuel and its decomposition in model engines have been conducted successfully.





Currently, scientists estimate that a propulsion system utilising green fuel will be implemented on test flights in space in 2021-2023.





Other space agencies are also looking for hydrazine alternatives. NASA is currently developing a green alternative as part of its Green Propellant Infusion Mission, searching for propulsion systems for next-generation launch vehicles and spacecraft. The agency also states that the green fuel would be safer, faster and less costly.