The use of hydrazine fuel for rockets, satellites and spacecraft is pervasive. Hydrazine is an efficient propellant and can be stored for long periods of time, but it also is highly corrosive and toxic. NASA is seeking new, non-toxic high performance green propellants that could be safely and widely used by rocketeers, ranging from government to industry and academia. Green propellants include liquid, solid, mono- or bi-propellants, and hybrids that offer safer handling conditions and lower environmental impact than current fuels.

Following a solicitation and peer-review selection process, NASA chose the Green Propellant Infusion Mission proposal and a team lead by Ball and co-investigators from the Aerojet Corporation in Redmond, Washington; the US Air Force Research Laboratory at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio; the US Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center at the Kirkland Air Force Base in New Mexico; NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland; and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the new mission.

The demonstration is to bridge the gap between technology development and use of green propellant. The team will develop and fly a high-performance green propellant, demonstrating and characterizing in space the functionality of the integrated propulsion system. Such a demonstration will provide the aerospace community with a new system-level capability for future missions.