Metal organic frameworks as hypergolic additives for rocket propulsion

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A new space race is currently underway, motivated by two emerging sectors: space tourism and the launching of small satellites. This second sector is now a burgeoning market as progress in sensing and electronic technologies have enabled a plethora of small companies to develop compact and light satellites for telecommunication, agriculture monitoring and natural disaster relief applications. For such small satellites, hybrid orbital launchers could be a very attractive option. In a hybrid rocket engine, the fuel is solid and the oxidizer is liquid or gaseous. The present project aims to develop novel fuel formulations for hybrid rockets that lower the cost and environmental impact of launches. The approach investigated is based on the use of a high regression rate fuel matrix such as paraffin, in which additives are used to modify energetic and rheological properties. Among others, polymers will be used to control the viscosity of the melted fuel and Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) to enable hypergolicity, the ability of the fuel to ignite spontaneously upon contact with the oxidizer. The proposed research is essential to allow hybrid rocket engines to compete in terms of propulsive performance with more complex liquid-fueled engines used in large scale orbital launchers. Such small-scale orbital launchers based on hybrid and hypergolic engines have the potential to be much simpler mechanically, decreasing costs and risks associated with launching payloads to space and better meeting the needs of small-scale satellite operators in terms of orbit flexibility. These technologies enable the development of Canadian orbital launching systems, such as those of our industrial partners, starting at the small scale. As a result, access to space will become possible locally for Canadian companies developing small satellites, allowing them to get their payloads to orbit quicker, cheaper and with more flexibility compared to ride-sharing.