Green Satellite Propulsion tested by Bellatrix Aerospace

Bengaluru-based Bellatrix Aerospace has successfully tested an environmentally friendly satellite propulsion system that offers a 20 percent increase in fuel efficiency over hydrazine-dependent fuel systems. Bellatrix’s recent testing of its green propulsion system also signals a turning point in the company’s quest to develop a space taxi for satellites.

KEY POINTS:

• Satellite thrusters use the poisonous substance hydrazine, which has a negative influence on the environment, prompting space experts to look for environmentally friendly replacements.
• According to a press statement from ISRO, the union cabinet approved two unmanned missions and one crewed mission as part of the Rs 9,023-crore Gaganyaan project.
• Should green propellants be explored for human flight missions, they would result in faster processing times and fewer handling needs, both of which are key roles in a crewed human flight mission.
• ISRO has said that it will strive to employ green fuels in all future flights, and the green fuel recently tested by Bellatrix Aerospace is particularly promising, offering both safe handling and superior performance over harmful substances such as hydrazine.
• Green propulsion research is critical since the world is rapidly moving toward green chemistry, and keeping up with the latest advances is critical for our country.

Bellatrix Aerospace

Bellatrix Aerospace, headquartered in Bangalore, India, is an Indian private aerospace manufacturing and small satellite firm. The business was founded in 2015. It wants to launch Chetak, its own rocket, in 2023. A handful of their own Aeon engines power the two-stage Chetak rocket. Bellatrix is one of a slew of new-age space tech businesses in India that have raised venture funding to go to new heights in the worldwide race for better space programmes. In June 2019, IDFC Parampara led a pre-series A round for the IISc-founded firm. Bellatrix is part of a crop that includes Agnikul Cosmos, Pixxel, Skyroot Aerospace, and others, all of which are attracting investor attention in the embryonic area.