SOME NEW EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENTS IN CHEMICAL PROPULSION

ESA has been promoting new developments in chemical spacecraft propulsion for several years now. The last six years in particular have seen important developments such as 'dual-mode propulsion', with which bipropellant engines using hydrazine as a fuel in conjunction with catalytic thrusters become feasible, as well as improvements in the classical bipropellant engines. New liquid-, solid- and hybrid storable-propellant combinations have also been identified, which not only produce 'more environment friendly' combustion products, but also have markedly better performances than the classical storable propellants. Considerable, and in many cases novel, work has also been done on motor, igniter, and propellant gauging and storage technology which will improve the performances of the spacecraft of the future.