Eco-Friendly Rocket Runs On Cow Manure

RECENTLY there was a Virgin Atlantic aircraft that made its journey using 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel. Now it seems a pioneering Japanese company may have trumped it by producing a rocket engine that runs on cow manure.

Interstellar Technologies (IST), a trailblazer in the Asian aerospace sector, ignited a rocket engine using biomethane derived from cow dung.

This ground-breaking event took place on Hokkaido island, Japan. IST, known for launching the first suborbital rocket in Japan back in 2019, is now focusing on biomethane as a sustainable rocket fuel.

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液化バイオメタンを使ったIST初の燃焼試験、30秒動画でお楽しみください🚀 pic.twitter.com/SmIXlfz0jZ

— インターステラテクノロジズ／Interstellar Technologies (@natsuroke) December 7, 2023

Biomethane: A Sustainable Choice

The successful test, posted on social media earlier this month, saw the rocket’s engine burn for a powerful ten seconds. IST’s footage of the event showcased a distinctive blue flame, a result of the methane fuel, marking a departure from traditional rocket fuels.

ZERO, the name of IST’s biomethane-powered rocket, stands as a 32-meter-tall, two-stage orbital launcher. It boasts a payload capacity of 800 kilograms.

Its design includes nine Cosmos engines, each featuring a concentric pivot injector akin to SpaceX’s Merlin engines. The prototype engine achieved a 60 kN thrust, with IST aiming for 130 kN in the final version.

A Leap In Rocket Technology

What sets the Cosmos engine apart is its fuel, liquid biomethane sourced from dairy cow faeces. This approach not only makes the rocket eco-friendly but also enables the use of manure to cool the combustion chamber.

Interstellar Technologies champions this as an ecological alternative to methane derived from liquefied natural gas.

The development and testing of ZERO spanned five years, following the success of IST’s MOMO, a 10-meter-high vehicle, and the first of its kind launched by a private company in Japan. Post-MOMO’s achievements, IST commenced ZERO’s development in 2020, anticipating its maiden flight in 2025.

January 2024 will see further ignition tests, crucial in determining the feasibility of a 2025 flight.