Reality is starting to look a lot like science fiction.
The UK Space Agency announced a £150,000 ($201,400) contract today to fund the study of a new kind of in-space orbital transfer vehicle (OTV). The spacecraft is designed to use autophage propulsion—meaning, it uses and burns a fuel tank that is itself made of fuel—to change its orbital trajectory.
The UK’s international bilateral fund awarded the contract to French propulsion startup Alpha Impulsion and the UK mission operator Meridian Space Command. The contract funds a six-month preliminary design review (PDR) of a cheaper OTV—dubbed the “economical transfer vehicle (ETV)”—that leverages Alpha’s autophage propulsion tech to create a cheaper, more efficient way of getting around in space.
How it works: Autophage propulsion works like this: As the engine burns, it consumes its own fuel tank (made of fuel). This process reduces the dry-mass of the overall vehicle, and creates a more efficient mode of propulsion.
In May, Alpha demonstrated its autophage propulsion system during a six-day test campaign. The company confirmed stable ignition and controlled combustion, opening the door for launch and in-orbit missions.
As part of the PDR, Alpha has teamed up with Meridian to study how the propulsion system could effectively create a cheaper OTV, by reducing the overall weight necessary to reach further orbits. The study will assess both the technical feasibility and economic viability of the proposed ETV.
On the technology front, Alpha and Meridian have a good idea already of what a typical ETV mission could look like.
- The ETV is expected to have a payload capacity of up to 50 kg, with a total launch mass of about 250 kg.
- The spacecraft is expected to have a Delta-v capability of around 4.5 km/s, giving the ETV the ability to change its inclination by up to 30 degrees within LEO. It can also reach MEO, GEO, and even lunar orbits.
- The idea is to have the ETV hitch a ride on a cheap rideshare flight to LEO or SSO and then power itself to its final trajectory, reducing its total mass the entire way.
To the Moon: For future missions, Alpha and Meridian are betting on the fact that OTVs and multi-orbit missions will remain in high-demand.
“I think we’re entering a new phase, where people are talking about beyond LEO,” Alpha CEO Marius Celette told Payload. “A lot of people are talking about Moon missions, in-orbit servicing stuff or dual-orbits, so that’s really kind of the new wave we’re trying to ride on.”
The technology may offer direct transport to distant orbital trajectories at a fraction of the cost of currently available alternatives. Meridian CEO Sam Richards told Payload that the spacecraft could reach lunar orbit at a price point an order of magnitude cheaper than current chemical propulsion systems.
Even before the PDR got underway, the partnership already received interest in future missions, including:
- Mission ShakthiSAT, a global STEM mission led by Space Kidz India to deliver a rough-micro-lander to the lunar surface.
- Elfen, a UK-led CubeSat mission to study solar wind at twice the distance of GEO.
