This project focuses on designing, building, and testing an environmentally friendly, reusable rocket on a hybrid engine. Advancements in green technology are being made in the aerospace industry on a daily basis. New materials and different propulsion methods are critical to the growing rocket industry. Commercial companies have begun to develop greener processes by designing reusable vehicles as well as implementing environmentally friendly materials and fuels. New propulsion technologies have been introduced which lower the environmental impact while retaining the technology’s key capabilities. Hybrid engines are one of these technologies that are starting to be utilized in the industry as a greater amount of research is being done on them. With the uptick in companies developing new rockets and new space exploration technologies, making these kinds of engines known can help ensure that rocket technology is cleaner and more sustainable in the future.

Seeing as how the Illinois Space Society is a student group and that members will one day go into industry and help develop new rocket capabilities, it is important to consider sustainable solutions early on. The development of hybrid propulsion is not an area heavily focused on by either student organizations or research groups in the College of Engineering. With the development of this project, the society hopes to increase the focus on hybrid propulsion, its importance, and its capabilities