Says Tassin: "It's our belief that hybrids will eventually supplant solid rockets and even some liquid types in many future applications."

Solid-fuel rockets, in which the fuel and oxidiser are pre-mixed into a stable, solid propellant and then packed inside the case of the rocket, are simpler, lighter and relatively safer.

Aluminum already represents a small but critical part of many rocket fuels, including the propellants for the space shuttle's solid booster rockets and NASA's next generation Ares rockets.