Hypergolic propellant

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A hypergolic propellant is a rocket engine propellant, the components of which spontaneously ignite upon contact with each other.

The two components usually consist of a fuel and an oxidizer. The advantages of hypergolic propellants are that they can be stored at room temperature, and that rocket engines can be ignited reliably and repeatedly. Common hypergolic propellants are difficult to handle due to high toxicity or corrosiveness.

In contemporary usage, the terms "hypergol" and "hypergolic propellant" usually refer to the most common combination: dinitrogen tetroxide plus hydrazine.

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