AYAP Lunar Propulsion System

DeltaV Space Technologies is developing a hybrid rocket propulsion system specifically for Turkey’s Lunar Hard Landing Mission (AYAP — Aya Postası, ‘Lunar Mail’), a flagship mission of Turkey’s National Space Program targeting the Moon as part of Turkey’s stated goal of landing a satellite on the Moon by the Republic’s centennial celebrations and beyond.

The AYAP propulsion system is designed to provide the deceleration burn required for a hard landing (impact at controlled velocity) on the lunar surface, requiring operation in the deep space environment far from Earth. DeltaV’s hybrid propulsion technology — combining solid fuel with a liquid oxidizer — offers advantages for this mission: storability (no cryogenic oxidizer), reliability (no turbopump or propellant pump for the liquid oxidizer), and the ability to restart in vacuum (as demonstrated on the SORS sounding rocket).

This is DeltaV’s most ambitious mission to date and is developed in cooperation with the Turkish Space Agency (TUA). Technical specifications for thrust, Isp, and propellant mass are not publicly disclosed.