CleanJoule has announced 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’s SpaceSAF delivers on the need for sustainable space missions while increasing payload due to an more than four 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 LEO and GEO missions is estimated to surpass $11 billion by 2032 and will continue growing at approximately seven percent each year, due to increased development and use 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.
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. Additionally, the fuel features no aromatics, sulfur, or olefins.
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. CleanJoule’s SSRF is a highly predictable and consistent drop-in replacement for the currently used fossil-based solid rocket fuels.
“It’s well known that the climate impact of aviation emissions is multiplied when that fuel is burned in the stratosphere. 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,” said Mukund Karanjikar, CEO and Founder, CleanJoule. “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.”
“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. 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 IATA’s 2050 targets,” continued Karanjikar. “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.”
About CleanJoule
CleanJoule Inc., headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a full performance sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) company that has developed a breakthrough pathway to produce superior and cost-effective SAF. CleanJoule’s manufacturing process delivers SAF with 10 percent higher energy density than average Jet A via a feedstock flexible fermentation and catalysis process. Backed by Indigo Partners, Cleanhill Partners, GenZero, Frontier Airlines, Wizz Airlines, and Volaris, CleanJoule is on a mission to eliminate the aviation industry’s reliance on fossil fuels.