NASA explores alternative green propellant technology

NASA is seeking new technology proposals from companies for a green propellant alternative to the highly toxic fuel hydrazine.

Hydrazine is an efficient and ubiquitous propellant that can be stored for long periods of time but it is also highly corrosive and toxic.

The US space agency is looking for an alternative propellant that will have minimal environmental hazards and less operational hazards, whilst also reducing rocket launch processing times.

NASA’s space technology programme director Michael Gazarik said: "High performance green propulsion has the potential to significantly change how we travel in space."

"NASA’s Space Technology Program seeks out these sorts of cross-cutting, innovative technologies to enable our future missions while also providing benefit to the American space industry," Gazarik said.

"By reducing the hazards of handling fuel, we can reduce ground processing time and lower costs for rocket launches, allowing a greater community of researchers and technologists access to the high frontier."

The space agency said maturing a space technology, such as a green propellant, to mission readiness through relevant environment testing and demonstration is a significant challenge from a cost, schedule and risk perspective.

In order to bridge the gap between laboratory confirmation of a technology and its initial use on an operational mission, NASA has set up the Technology Demonstration Missions Program to perform the demonstration.

NASA expects to award the programme to companies after assessing the proposals with no single award exceeding $50m.

The agency seeks proposal by 30 April this year and final award will be announced based on the strength of the proposal.

 

Image: The Technology Demonstration Missions Program will be managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centre. Photo: NASA.