CleanJoule announces SpaceSAF, a drop-in rocket propellant for sustainable space missions

CleanJoule announced Dec. 10 SpaceSAF™, its newest product that is a drop-in replacement for super-refined kerosene fuels used in liquid rockets (rocket propellant 1/RP-1 and RP-2).

CleanJoule said its SpaceSAF delivers on the need for sustainable space missions while increasing payload due to an over 4 percent improvement in energy density compared to existing petroleum-derived fuels.

From the same base material used to produce SpaceSAF, CleanJoule is also producing a superior, sustainable solid rocket fuel (SSRF) for use in existing solid rocket motors.

The space-propulsion market for both low-Earth orbit and geosynchronous orbit missions is estimated to surpass $11 billion by 2032 and will continue growing at approximately 7 percent each year due to increased development and utilization of government and commercial launch vehicles.

SAF companies such as CleanJoule that deliver versatile propulsion solutions (liquid, solid and hybrid) are the primary way this demand will be met while minimizing environmental impact.

“It’s well known that the climate impact of aviation emissions is multiplied when that fuel is burned in the stratosphere,” said Mukund Karanjikar, the CEO and founder of CleanJoule. “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. 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, such as SpaceSAF, to ensure the most sustainable growth and outcomes.”

SpaceSAF is a dual-use, high-performing analog of CleanJoule’s CycloSAF™ product that delivers improvements to both civilian and military space lift performance.

It offers superior low-temperature viscosity with higher volumetric and gravimetric energy densities than traditional kerosene-based fuels, according to CleanJoule.

Additionally, the fuel features no aromatics, sulfur or olefins.

“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,” Karanjikar said. “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 the International Air Transport Association’s 2050 targets. 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. This dynamic future for the space industry is why we’ve been working diligently to deliver versatile fuels such as SpaceSAF and SSRF to meet the needs of this fascinating and growing market.”

Today, RP-1 is the most popular rocket propellant in use powering 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.

As a myriad of companies continue to commercialize rocket launches—be that satellites for communication, Earth observation, scientific study or vehicles for space exploration—improvements across both payload and range are of inherent value.

New pathways to fuel generation will be required as an increasing volume of rocket propellants are needed to service this growing industry.

Solid Rocket Motors, used for both military and civilian applications, were initially developed in the 1960s when engineers sought out a solid fuel that was more performant and delivered increased fuel grain mechanical properties than the state of the art.

Today, this solid fuel is 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.