Bellatrix tests India’s 1st high-performance green propulsion for satellites

BENGALURU: In a significant milestone, space transportation company Bellatrix Aerospace has successfully tested India’s first high-performance green propulsion system for satellites, a greener alternative to conventional hydrazine-based satellite propulsion systems.

The firm developed a “proprietary high performance green monopropellant” with the guidance from Charlie Oommen, professor, department of aerospace engineering at IISc. The test comes at a time various governments are considering banning hydrazine due to its toxic impact.

The proprietary green monopropellant possesses higher density than hydrazine, which means that more volume of propellant can be stored in containers of the same volume. Another advantage is the elimination of line heaters to prevent freezing of propellant.

Elaborating on the test done in a vacuum environment, Saagar Malaichamy, co-founder and senior scientist at the firm’s mono propellant systems division, said “These tests validate functioning of many critical areas such as high temperature metallurgy, catalysis and energetic materials. We’ve performed multiple consecutive tests and the results are fairly consistent. We are currently working towards optimising parameters to meet stringent requirements for acceptance in spaceflight.”

Saagar added that the product under testing is a 1N thruster suitable for use in micro/small satellites weighing between 50kg to 1,000kg and supports agile manoeuvres in space. “We’re also developing larger thrusters that could propel heavy satellites,” he said.

Advantages

The major combustion byproducts of the new Bellatrix thruster are water vapour based, making it green and environment friendly and its unique properties make it suitable for deep space missions with long coasting requirements.

Pointing out that Hydrazine requires strict safety standards for storage, transport and use of space propellants, the firm said that “while all rocket fuels can be dangerous to handle without proper safety precautions, our proprietary green propellant has significantly reduced toxicity levels compared to hydrazine, making it easier and safer to store and handle”.

These safety aspects could also make it a candidate for human spaceflight missions as conventional fuel poses risk to life of crew members in case of accidents involving propellant leakage. It also requires fewer handling restrictions and shorter launch processing times, resulting in lowered costs.

Bellatrix CEO and CTO Rohan M Ganapathy, said: “Chemical propulsion uses completely different technology compared to electric propulsion. Development of this is a key indicator of our capabilities as a full suite solution provider with expertise both in electric and green chemical propulsion.”

Innovation & Support

The technology is also a key sub-system for the orbital transfer vehicle under development in the company and was a core project for the past seven years.

“...This should put Bellatrix on a par with global research in this domain. This was made possible by the government’s Technology Development Fund, veteran advisors, investors and IISc’s Society for Innovation and Development,” Ganapathy said, adding the most challenging part was the need to develop numerous sub-systems and components in-house, which took time to master.

As reported by TOI earlier, Bellatrix tested India’s first privately built Hall Effect Thruster and also the world’s first Microwave Plasma Thruster, a patented electric propulsion system that uses water as propellant. Isro has also extended its support to the firm by means of a first-of-its kind developmental contract, while Bellatrix has also bagged two national awards in recognition for its strides in innovation.
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