Green Propellant Infusion Mission
Artist's rendering of GPIM on Earth orbit
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| Mission type | Technology demonstrator |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| Mission duration | Two months |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | BCP-100 |
| Manufacturer | Ball Aerospace |
| BOL mass | ≤180 kg (400 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | March 2017 |
| Rocket | Falcon Heavy |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
The Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) is a planned NASA technology demonstrator project that will test a less toxic and higher performance/efficiency chemical propellant for next-generation launch vehicles and spacecraft. When compared to the present high-thrust and high-performance industry standard for orbital maneuvering systems, which for decades, have exclusively been reliant upon toxic hydrazine based propellant formulations, the "greener" Hydroxylammonium nitrate(HAN) monopropellant may offer many advantages for future satellites, including longer mission durations, additional maneuverability, increased payload space and simplified launch processing. The GPIM is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and is part of NASA's Technology Demonstration Mission Program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate.
The Green Propellant Infusion Mission is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in 2017, on a test mission called Space Test Program 2 (STP-2). The cost of the program is projected to be approximately $45 million.
The propellant for this mission is hydroxylammonium nitrate (NH3OHNO3) fuel/oxidizer blend, also known as AF-M315E. Preliminary data indicates that it offers nearly 50% higher performance for a given propellant tank volume compared to a conventional monopropellant hydrazine system. The Green Propellant Infusion Mission seeks to improve overall propellant efficiency while reducing the toxic handling concerns associated with the highly toxic propellant hydrazine. The new propellant is an energetic ionic liquid. Ionic liquids are salt compounds in a liquid form whose molecules have either a positive or negative charge, which bonds them together more tightly and makes the liquid more stable.
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