CleanJoule, the full performance sustainable aviation fuel company, has officially announced the launch of SpaceSAF™, which happens to be a drop-in replacement for super refined kerosene fuels used in liquid rockets (Rocket Propellant 1/RP-1 and RP-2).
According to certain reports, the stated innovation arrives on the scene with an ability to meet the sustainability needs of critical missions, while simultaneously increasing payload with an over four percent improvement in energy density, compared to existing petroleum-derived fuels.
Markedly enough, CleanJoule is also leveraging the same base material, which it used to produce SpaceSAF, to manufacture a superior, sustainable solid rocket fuel (SSRF) for use in existing solid rocket motors.
Anyway, talk about SpaceSAF on a slightly deeper, it happens to be a dual-use, high-performing analog of CleanJoule’s CycloSAF™ product that, on its part, delivers improvements to both civilian and military space lift performance. More on the same would reveal how it offers superior low temperature viscosity with higher volumetric and gravimetric energy densities than traditional kerosene-based fuels. Not just that, the fuel also has no contain any aromatics, sulfur, or olefins either.
“It’s well known that the climate impact of aviation emissions is multiplied when that fuel is burned in the stratosphere. As an industry, we have a responsibility to take the lessons we’ve learned in aviation and apply them to space exploration before environmental damage is done,” said Mukund Karanjikar, CEO and Founder of CleanJoule. “Space exploration is an exciting category with massive potential for many industries; it also plays an important role in preserving our national security. In the process of tapping that potential we must carefully consider the enabling technologies including versatile and ‘green’ rocket fuels,”
To understand the significance of such a development, we must take into account a fact that space propulsion market, for both low Earth orbit and geosynchronous orbit missions, is currently estimated to surpass $11 billion by 2032. On top of that, it is expected to continue growing at approximately seven percent each year due to increased development and utilization of government and commercial launch vehicles.
Keeping that strong demand in mind, SAF companies such as CleanJoule that deliver versatile propulsion solutions (liquid, solid, and hybrid) are now poised to become chief players, players who will meet this demand and at the same time, minimize environmental impact.
At present, RP-1 is the most popular rocket propellant in use, as it supports the first-stage boosters of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Heavy, Rocket Lab’s Electron, Astra’s Rocket 4, Firefly Aerospace’s Firefly Alpha, ABL Space Systems’ RS1, and others. Having said so, with more and more companies commercializing rocket launches, the whole space is due advancements in the context of both payload and range. Hence, new pathways to fuel generation will be required as an increasing volume of rocket propellants.
Now, as for what makes CleanJoule an ideal candidate to stitch together this gap, the answer resides in its SSRF being a highly predictable and consistent drop-in replacement for the currently used fossil-based solid rocket fuels.
You see, Solid Rocket Motors, used for both military and civilian applications, were initially developed in the 1960s when engineers needed a solid fuel that was more performant and delivered increased fuel grain mechanical properties than the state of the art. Today, the stated fuel is being extensively used across multiple launch platforms including the European Space Agency’s Vega and Vega-C, Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity, and United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V.
“When we founded CleanJoule, we set out to deliver a sustainable aviation fuel that broke through the 50 percent ‘blend wall’ that limits all other SAFs. We ensured that our product could be used in a 100 percent SAF formulation so that the industry can truly be on pace to meet IATA’s 2050 targets,” said Karanjikar. “When it comes to rockets, we see a future that is remarkably diverse. There are the typical classes of rockets that include liquid, solid, and hybrid, but we are also building sustainable, bespoke fuel molecules capable of powering next generation engine classes.”
