Vlad Stefan Buzetelu

Sustained cislunar logistics operations, including recurring support of the Lunar Gateway at EML1 and EML2, impose demanding propulsion requirements, including high ΔV budgets, restart capability, and long-duration propellant storage, which conventional propulsion approaches struggle to meet efficiently at scale. This study presents a novel cislunar mission architecture based on nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP), operating at a specific impulse of 900 s with liquid hydrogen as propellant and a hydrazine Reaction Control System (RCS) for proximity and docking maneuvers. The architecture is evaluated analytically through sequential application of the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation across two mission scenarios: a direct logistics transfer to EML1 (Scenario A) and a two-burn Gateway staging transfer from EML1 to EML2 (Scenario B), using a launch mass of 9000 kg, a 5% ΔV margin, and deterministic ΔV values of 3164 m/s for LEO→EML1, 160 m/s for EML1→EML2, and 37.36 m/s for RCS operations. The proposed architecture achieves a total propellant mass below 3044 kg and a total delivered mass between 5956 kg and 6071 kg across both scenarios. These results establish NTP as a technically credible foundation for scalable and sustainable cislunar transportation, with broad implications for the development of a permanent lunar economy.

The transition toward sustainable aviation fuels requires dedicated experimental platforms capable of evaluating alternative fuels under realistic propulsion conditions. This study presents the development and laboratory experimental validation of a modular testing installation designed for sustainable fuels derived from plastic waste pyrolysis, intended for aerospace engine applications. The proposed system is conceived as an integrated small-scale gas turbine assembly that reproduces the functional characteristics of a jet engine and enables controlled laboratory investigations of dynamic behavior, combustion stability, and performance. The installation comprises a compressor, annular combustion chamber, and turbine mounted on a common shaft, along with a fully autonomous fuel supply system equipped with electronically controlled pumping, safety devices, and thermal conditioning of the fuel mixture via an attached Stirling engine. Combustion processes are continuously evaluated using an exhaust gas analysis system to assess fuel composition and combustion quality, while a high-speed camera operating at 50,000 fps enables detailed visualization of flame stability. Operating parameters, including temperatures, pressures, rotational speed, mass flow rates, and thrust, are monitored and recorded through an integrated control and data acquisition system with real-time analysis capabilities. Experimental results demonstrate stable operation and reliable ignition using alternative fuel mixtures, confirming the suitability of the modular installation as a versatile research platform for the assessment and comparative analysis of sustainable aerospace fuels.