Rocket

Propulsion
 AGEND
OBJECTI
VE
A
ABOUT ROCKET
PROPULSION
DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROCKET
PROPULSION
ROCKET PROPULSION AND NEWTON'S
THIRD LAW
OUR DESIGN

TEAM MEMBERS AND THANK YOU

 OBJECTIVE
Scenario : Outer Solar Propulsion Optimization

As a spacecraft engineer, you've been assigned to design a propulsion system for a

mission to explore the outer reaches of the solar system. How would you balance the
trade-offs between traditional chemical propulsion and advanced propulsion
technologies, such as ion engines or nuclear thermal propulsion, to achieve the mission
objectives?

Your Challenge

As a consultant for the space company, your task is to propose a sustainable solution that
addresses these environmental concerns while ensuring the mission objectives are met.
ABOUT ROCKET PROPULSION
ABOUT ROCKET PROPULSION
What is Propulsion ?
Propulsion refers to the action or process of driving or pushing something forward. It relates to the force or
mechanism that impels an object to move in a desired [Link] can be achieved through various
means depending on the application and environment in which it is used. Propulsion in rockets is the process
by which rockets generate the thrust needed to propel themselves through space. This thrust is essential for
overcoming the Earth's gravitational pull and achieving controlled movement through the atmosphere and
into space.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROPULSION
SYSTEM
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROPULSION
SYSTEM
Chemical Propulsion
System
Fuel is burned in a combustion chamber that has an opening at the back end. And that opening is called the
nozzle. The combustion process converts a solid or a liquid fuel into a high pressure gas. And the high pressure
inside the combustion chamber causes mass to migrate towards the opening at the back end of the motor. Now
here's what the pressure profile looks like inside the rocket motor.
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROPULSION
SYSTEM
Chemical Propulsion
System

First of all, we have combustion. And that creates pressure forces on the top of the casing, on the bottom of the
casing, on the front, and the back of the casing.
Now, the upward and downward forces don't contribute to the leftward force creating the thrust in this picture.
So we can eliminate those.
And also if you look at the right hand side of the motor, there's a hole at the back end. Now there's no surface
for the pressure to act on. So there's no pressure force acting in the area of the throat of the nozzle.
So if we eliminate balanced forces again, we see that we have a leftward force created by the pressure inside
the casing.
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROPULSION
SYSTEM
Chemical Propulsion
It's these leftward acting forces that are actually the thrust of the rocket motor. So how do we get the high
System
pressure gasses inside the rocket motor. Well, the answer to that question is combustion. It's the chemical
reaction that converts a solid or liquid fuel into a high pressure gas.
There are three things that are needed for combustion to occur. First we need some sort of fuel. Second, we
need oxygen. And finally we need a heat source to get the reaction going. Now, if any one of these three things
is absent, the combustion process will never start. Or if it started in one of these is taken away, the combustion
process will actually stop. Now let's take a look at rocket propellant. Rocket propellant includes fuel, usually
something with lots of carbon such as hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene or HTPB to the rocket world. Now
rocket propellant also includes its own oxygen. For solid fuelled rocket motor, this might be ammonium
perchlorate, which is also known as AP. Now, if oxygen is built into the propellant, it doesn't need any oxygen
from the outside atmosphere.
The initial heat to get the chemical reaction started is supplied by the igniter. Igniter burns or ignites the
propellant, and once that happens, the chemical reaction is a self-sustaining reaction and thus motor propellant
will continue to burn.
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROPULSION
SYSTEM
ION Propulsion
System
Ion propulsion is a cutting-edge technology in space propulsion that operates by using electric fields to
accelerate ions, typically sourced from xenon gas, to high velocities to generate thrust. Unlike conventional
chemical rockets which rely on combustion for propulsion, ion thrusters employ electrical power to ionize
their propellant. These ions are then expelled through a series of electrostatic grids, achieving velocities
much higher than those achievable by traditional propulsion methods. This results in a high-speed exhaust jet
that propels the spacecraft forward in accordance with Newton's third law of motion. One of the key
advantages of ion thrusters is their exceptional specific impulse, a measure of efficiency that indicates how
effectively a propulsion system uses its propellant. Ion thrusters can achieve specific impulses several times
higher than chemical rockets, allowing spacecraft to achieve higher final velocities while using significantly
less propellant. This efficiency makes ion propulsion particularly well-suited for deep space missions that
require prolonged acceleration phases, where continuous but low-thrust manoeuvres are beneficial for precise
trajectory adjustments and orbital manoeuvres. However, the trade-off for this efficiency is lower thrust
output compared to chemical rockets, which limits the initial acceleration and manoeuvrability of spacecraft
equipped with ion thrusters, especially during launch from Earth's gravity well. As a result, ion propulsion
systems are typically employed for missions with longer-duration objectives, such as interplanetary probes
and missions to asteroids and comets. Despite these challenges, ion propulsion has proven its reliability and
effectiveness in several space missions, including NASA's Deep Space 1 and Dawn missions.
 ION
THRUSTERS
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROPULSION
SYSTEM
Solar Propulsion
System

Solar electric propulsion (SEP) systems offer exceptional fuel efficiency and mission flexibility by generating low-
thrust propulsion using solar energy. Instead of carrying large amounts of onboard propellant, SEP systems collect
solar energy via arrays, converting it into electrical power. This power ionizes inert gases like xenon or krypton,
which are then accelerated by electric and magnetic fields to produce a greenish-blue plasma plume. This method
enables spacecraft to achieve high speeds over time, making it ideal for interplanetary travel, station-keeping,
and orbital transfers.
ROCKET PROPULSION AND NEWTON’S
THIRD LAW
ROCKET PROPULSION AND NEWTON’S
THIRD LAW
Rocket propulsion can also be explained on the basis of Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every
action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the case of a rocket, the action is the propellant being blasted
downward, and the reaction is the rocket being propelled upward.
 our
design
 our
design
We have a composite design which includes 4 chemical propulsion
systems. These propulsion systems generate just enough thrust for
the rocket to escape the Earth’s gravitational field.
After this, the chemical propulsion systems get detached from the
rocket and the job of accelerating/decelerating/maneuvering the
rocket is taken up by the ion thruster. As mentioned earlier, although
ion thrusters are unable to produce enough thrust to move out of
Earth’s gravitational field they have high specific impulse which
makes them suitable for long space journeys. In fact Xenon, which
after being ionized is used as the propellent in ion thrusters, can be
absorbed from planets such as Jupiter, and hence much lesser Xenon
needs to be carried on board if the itinerary permits.
The Solar panels attached on the sides helps to harness solar energy
which is then used to ionize Xenon atoms.
Our design does not banish the use of chemical propulsion. However
it does limit its use. This means we need to carry much lesser
amount of chemical propellants and yet space travel for a long time.
The other option could have been nuclear propulsion system, which
gives almost double the thrust. However, this can be much more
dangerous especially when the rocket is within the Earth’s
atmosphere.

As labelled in the diagram, thermal insulation protects the ion

thruster while the chemical propulsion system is in use. The circuitry
 MEET OUR
ASTRONAUTS
 MEET OUR
ASTRONAUTS

Shivanshi Zaara Ali Samir

Bareja Khan Tanwar

DPS MATHURA
THANK YOU

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