Green Solar-to-propellant Water Propulsion

Introduction

Similar to terrestrial photosynthesis, whereby plants convert solar energy into chemical energy through the capture of light energy, the Green SWaP project seeks to harness this potentiality in space by converting water into highly valuable propellants, specifically hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen.

Project Goals

Green SWaP will prove and validate a technology that will use solar energy to produce propellants from water for in-space green propulsion. It will be a crucial building block to enable innovative green propulsion solutions for in-space mobility, resulting in low-cost and eco-friendly innovative concepts.

Novel Approach

This project represents a novel approach, never developed for in-space mobility. While studies exist for terrestrial applications, the space environment introduces additional constraints and dedicated challenges that the project will aim to solve.

Technology Overview

The new technologies, based on innovative chemical processes, will harvest solar power to enable green propulsion. This methodology is plausible because the underlying technological concepts of producing, concentrating, and storing hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen using solar energy have been proven separately, even though they were developed under different constraints and conditions of use than in-space applications.

Research Opportunities

Moreover, the combination of hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen has never been investigated in detail. The utilization of hydrogen for solar thermal propulsion is theoretically proven to be the most promising, but it has never been developed as technology.

Future Impact

The combination of these technologies will drastically increase future spacecraft capabilities, facilitating renewable and self-sustainable in-space mobility.

Optimization Focus

Optimisation concerning the quality and quantity of hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen produced onboard, as well as efficiency improvements, will be fully explored.