MOSCOW. April 12 (Interfax) - Methane could prove to be a better rocket fuel for deep-space missions, NPO Energomash General Designer Pyotr Levochkin told Interfax.
"An experimental demonstrator engine is being designed in Russia in line with the federal space program. The Voronezh CADB (Chemical Automatics Design Bureau) has made much headway in studying methane as a rocket fuel component. They are due to build a demonstrator at some point, and ways of accelerating the project are being discussed in order to have an engine, instead of just a demonstrator ready by 2024-2025," Levochkin said.
Methane has better energy than kerosene but there is one shortcoming: low density, which would require construction of bigger fuel tanks.
"Methane does not need as much thermal insulation as, for example, hydrogen in subzero temperatures of outer space, and methane could be a more profitable fuel to use in rockets' upper stages for distant flights," Levochkin said.
The positive features of methane as a rocket fuel component encourage all countries which design rockets to build such engines, he said.