Analysis of energy performance of composite hydrocarbon fuels for oxygen engines of space rocket stages

The currently used integrated rocket upper stages and transfer orbit stages operating on liquid oxygen - kerosene components are supposed to provide a maximum mass of spacecraft payload injected both into geo-transfer and geostationary orbits. One of the possible ways of solving this problem could be a transition to a synthetic hydrocarbon fuel or hydrocarbon dual-fuel, which could make it possible to build up a specific main engine pulse in space and increase the spacecraft upmass capabilities. The article analyzes the energy performance of various hydrocarbon fuels, including energyintensive ones for liquid space rocket stages and upper stages, and describes the optimization study results for defining optimal hydrocarbon dual-fuels based on «specific engine pulse» criterion. For advanced searching, the use of aviation fuels in rocket technology was assessed.