Fuel and Energy

Satellites today are launched via booster rocket from a limited number of ground facilities, which can involve a month or longer of preparation for a small payload and significant cost for each mission. Launch costs are driven in part today by fixed site infrastructure, integration, checkout and flight rules. Fixed launch sites can be rendered idle by something as innocuous as rain, and they also limit the direction and timing of orbits satellites can achieve.

The BioFuels program seeks to develop renewable jet fuel (JP-8) for military aviation that meets or exceeds JP-8 performance metrics to help reduce the military’s dependence on traditional petroleum-derived fuels. These renewable fuels are derived from cellulosic materials and algal species that don’t compete with consumable food crops. The cellulosic material conversion process aims to demonstrate technology to enable 50% energy conversion efficiency in the conversion of cellulosic material feedstock to JP-8.

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) have inherent operational and tactical advantages such as stealth and surprise. UUV size, weight and volume are constrained by the handling, launch and recovery systems on their host platforms, however, and UUV range is limited by the amount of energy available for propulsion and the power required for a given underwater speed. Current state-of-the-art energy sources are limited by safety and certification requirements for host platforms.

Robots hold great promise for amplifying human effectiveness in Defense operations. Compared to human beings and animals, however, the mobility and manipulation capability of present day robots is poor. In addition, design and manufacturing of current robotic systems are time consuming, and fabrication costs remain high. If these limitations were overcome, robots could assist in the execution of military operations far more effectively across a far greater range of missions.

Current UAVs provide valuable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) coverage for troops deployed overseas. However, UAVs cannot stay airborne for extended periods of time before needing to be refueled or serviced. DARPA’s Vulture program seeks to develop critical enabling technologies for an airborne payload to remain on-station, uninterrupted for more than five years, performing ISR and communication missions over an area of interest.