Optimal battery selection for hybrid rocket engine

In the present paper, the optimal selection of batteries for an electric pump -fed hybrid rocket engine is analyzed. A two -stage Mars Ascent Vehicle, suitable for the Mars Sample Return Mission, is considered as test case. A single engine is employed in the second stage, whereas the first stage uses a cluster of two engines. The initial mass of the launcher is equal to 500 kg and the same hybrid rocket engine is considered for both stages. Ragone plot -based correlations are embedded in the optimization process in order to chose the optimal values of specific energy and specific power, which minimize the battery mass ad hoc for the optimized engine design and ascent trajectory. Results show that a payload close to 100 kg is achievable considering the current commercial battery technology.