Gelled Green Propellant Rocket Motor and Gas Generator Technology at Bayern-Chemie - Status and Applications for Space Systems

Development of the technology of rocket motors burning gelled propellants (GRM) in Germany started from a white sheet of paper in 1999 as a joint effort of Bayern-Chemie, Fraunhofer Institut fur Chemische Technologie (ICT), Deutsches Luftund Raumfahrtzentrum (DLR). To address the need for a highly tunable and safe propulsion system for highly sophisticated missiles, the German MoD provides the basic funding for the institutes, since 2002 contracts for BC and the support of the Bundeswehr Technical Center for Weapons and Ammunition (WTD 91). The goal to demonstrate a GRM with thrust modulation in flight in 2009 was achieved in due time by two out of two perfect free-flight tests of a demonstrator missile. The special properties of our GRM technology are very stable combustion and thrust control, high turn-down ratio, very good insensitivity, very low hazard potential and good processing, handling and torage capabilities. The gelled propellant is as “green” as storable propellants can be. The paper gives a short overview on the staus of the GRM technology and potential spin-off applications in the field of space propulsion.