Hybrid Rocket Engines
HyImpulse Technologies
Hybrid rockets have significant advantages over solid and liquid rockets in terms of storage, handling and safety. They also offer controllable thrust, including the ability to shut down and re-ignite. Applications in space tourism, such as Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, and various activities by university students, for example in the DLR-STERN program, demonstrate their potential. Hybrid rocket engines are the focus of research at institutions and universities worldwide. Due to their inherent safety, they are well suited for university education. Their good performance, depending on the chosen propellant combination, makes hybrid rockets attractive for sounding rockets and micro-launchers.
The use of fuels with a high regression rate such as kerosenes offers the possibility of building compact engines and overcoming one of the disadvantages of hybrid rockets. Detailed work on the development of combustion chambers and components and on improving the performance of hybrid rocket engines is being carried out in the working group. This task requires an in-depth understanding of solid fuel combustion processes with a high regression rate and thus detailed investigations in this field.