Alternative fuel to hydrazine to be tested with NASA’s GPIM spacecraft

A US Air Force sponsored program has developed a non-toxic alternative propellant to the commonly used, but highly toxic and flammable, monopropellant hydrazine: New research key to revolutionary ‘green’ spacecraft propellant – US Air Force

The new fuel, labeled AF-M315E,  is an “energetic ionic liquid, or EIL”. It was developed by Dr. Tom Hawkins of the Air Force Research Lab with funding from the Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) Program.  AF-M315E  offers nearly twice the energy density of hydrazine, has very low vapor flammability and is non-toxic.

The fuel will be tested in space by NASA in 2015 using an engine developed for the fuel by Aerojet in the project called the  Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM)

The Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) project will demonstrate the practical capabilities of AF-M315E, a high-performance green alternative to hydrazine. This innovative, low-toxicity propellant is expected to improve overall vehicle performance. It boasts a higher density than hydrazine, meaning more of it can be stored in containers of the same volume; it delivers a higher specific impulse, or thrust delivered per given quantity of fuel; and it has a lower freezing point, requiring less spacecraft power to maintain its temperature.