ICE would make a fine rocket fuel, if you’re a CubeSat.
These lightweight, low-cost satellites are made up of 1-litre modules, making them popular for student projects. But they are limited by the lack of a good propulsion system to keep them aloft longer and under control, says Angelo Cervone at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. “We have reached the maximum level of what you can do with small satellites without one.”
So Cervone and his colleagues designed an ice-propelled rocket. The CubeSat would contain 100 grams of water ice. Once in space the ice sublimates, releasing vapour molecules. These would bounce against a hot plate to gain speed, creating a propulsion force (Acta Astronautica, doi.org/2sv). A prototype may fly in a few years.
Ice-powered propulsion could work well, says Paulo Lozano, director of the Space Propulsion Lab at MIT. “It’s based on solid propellant, and that is always a good idea,” he says. “If you have something that can explode, it would pose a threat to the main payload. The challenge will be to keep the ice as ice all the time.”
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