Pioneering experiment for fuel management in space

The research is being carried out within the framework of the CRYSALIS project, a consortium formed by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - Barcelona Tech (UPC), the companies Absolut System and The Exploration Company, and the Centre Spatial de Liège.

The objective of the project is to develop a system capable of transferring and storing cryogenic propellant in the long term in microgravity conditions. Cryogenic propellants are a type of propellant that are stored and used at extremely low temperatures. They are fuels and oxidizers such as liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, which offer very high performance and efficiency for rocket engines, and which still pose challenges in terms of their handling and storage in space.

The CRYSALIS project addresses this challenge by developing technologies that will be tested, over a six-month period, with a small-scale orbital demonstration, planned for 2027. This experimental system will allow the validation of propellant storage and transfer systems in a real space environment, opening the door to new exploration opportunities, including in-orbit transport, long-duration missions and in-orbit storage.

The contribution of the UPC Space Exploration Laboratory to the project focuses on the development of an experimental acoustic propellant management system, which includes techniques for boiling control and fuel measurement. In this laboratory, subsystems are designed to test the implemented techniques and tests are carried out to validate the experimental system.