Detonative Propulsion
✶ Overview
The Holy Grail of Chemical Propulsion
Detonative propulsion offers a path to significantly smaller combustion chambers and improved propulsion efficiency. By reducing propulsion system mass, it can free capacity for payloads and mission capability. This is the technological foundation of what we build at Stellar Alpina.
01
Compact combustion chambers
02
Higher propulsion efficiency
03
Lower system mass
04
More mission capacity
A New Era of Rocket Engines
Every technology faces diminish returns given a long enough time span. paradigm shifts come from evolution, not optimiziation It is our mission to push the limits of what’s possible.
✶ Overview
CLOVER | The Engine Powering Our First Spacecraft
Stellar Alpina’s first orbital engine powered by green, storable propellants, yet delivering the performance of cryogenic propulsion.
Thrust
1 kN
Oxydizer
Hydrogen Peroxide
Fuel
Propane
✶ Propellant
The Chemistry of an Advantage
Conventional spacecraft propulsion has long relied on highly toxic chemicals such as MMH and NTO. We take a different approach: propane and High-Test Peroxide (HTP), concentrated hydrogen peroxide, the same chemical found in household bleach.
Longer Missions
Reliable propellant storage, even on extended missions.
Cleaner
Lower toxicity and reduced environmental impact during ground testing.
High performance
Strong inherent propulsion performance, further enhanced by detonation efficiency gains.
Future-proof
high cooling capacity and the ability to serve as a monopropellant in reaction control thrusters.
At Stellar Alpina, progress isn't earned in software alone. It's earned on the test stand. We build fast, test hard, and push our engines to their limits. Every firing is meticulously analyzed, every failure understood, and every lesson turned into better hardware/models. Our experience has taught us that relentless testing and rapid iteration, combined with world-class simulations, are the right approach to turning concepts into reality.
Continue Exploring:
