A bipropellant rocket is a rocket that uses separate fuel and oxidizer propellants. Bipropellant systems are more efficient than monopropellant systems, but they tend to be more complicated because of the extra hardware components needed to make sure the right amount of fuel gets mixed with the right amount of oxidizer (this is known as the mixture ratio.)
Thousands of combinations of fuels and oxidizers have been tried over the years. Some of the more common and practical ones are:
- liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2,LH2)- Space Shuttle main engines
- liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene or RP-1 - Saturn V booster, various Soviet boosters
- liquid oxygen (LOX) and alcohol (Ethanol,C2H5OH,C2H5OH) - early liquid fueled rockets, like German (WW2) A-4 , aka V-2
- T-Stoff (80% Hydrogen Peroxide) and C-Stoff (Methanol,Hydrazinehydrate) - Walter Werke HWK 109-509 engine used on Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet a rocket fighterplane of (WW2)
- nitric acid and kerosene - Russian (USSR) SCUD-A, aka SS-1
- IRFNA and UDMH Russian (USSR) SCUD-B,-C,-D, aka SS-1-c,-d,-e
- nitric acid 73% with dinitrogen tetroxide 27% (=AK27) and kerosene/gasoline mixture - various Russian (USSR) cold war ballistic missiles, Iran: Shahab-5, North Korea: Taep'o-dong-2
- hydrogen peroxide and kerosene - UK (1970's) Black Arrow, USA Development (or study): BA-3200
- hydrazine and red fuming nitric acid - Nike Ajax Antiaircraft Rocket
- dimethylhydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide - many USSR rockets and Apollo Lunar Module
- monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and dinitrogen tetroxide - Space Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System OMS
see also: spacecraft propulsion,Tripropellant rocket