3 ms·

Hydrazine isn't just a chemical FROM rocket fuel, it is rocket fuel itself. On of the most common monopropellants used in RCS thrusters

• perihelions 3y ago
  On that tangent, there's been a large amount of R&D into finding alternative monopropellants, because this one's so infamously hazardous to work with. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Propellant_Infusion_Mission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Propellant_Infusion_Miss... - "When compared to the present high-thrust and high-performance industry standard for orbital maneuvering systems, which for decades, have exclusively been reliant upon toxic hydrazine based propellant formulations, the "greener" hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) monopropellant offers many advantages..." And: Starlink eschews chemical thrusters entirely, and only flies with electric Hall-effect thrusters (harmless krypton or argon gas). Might be an underappreciated engineering choice: no hazmats at integration should simplify a lot of things for them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink#Satellite_hardware https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink#Satellite_hardware
  • heavenlyblue 3y ago
    Only simplifies things for them because there's regulation around these materials
    • wizzwizz4 3y ago
      Yes, and? There is regulation around these materials. That's what regulation is for: to make amoral corporations cause less collateral damage. (Decent regulation can even, I hear, allow moral corporations to not be competed out of existence.)
    • jamiek88 3y ago
      What a strange comment. What are you trying to say here?
• NotYourLawyer 3y ago
  Also one of the first hugely successful bipropellants. Tons of rockets have used IRFNA + UDMH.