Sensitizing rocket propulsion engine

A rocket propulsion engine, comprising:

• a propellant vessel containing a combustible propellant and having a detonator;
• a combustion chamber having an ignitor;
• a propellant flow path fluidly connecting the propellant vessel and the combustion chamber, and a propellant flow controller in the propellant flow path that controls the flow of propellant through the propellant flow path;
• an exhaust nozzle fluidly connected to the combustion chamber;
• a sensitizer vessel containing a sensitizer;
• a sensitizer flow path fluidly connecting the sensitizer vessel and the propellant vessel,
• a controllable sensitizer injector that controls the flow of sensitizer through the sensitizer flow path;
• a controller that is connected to the propellant flow controller, the ignitor, the controllable sensitizer injector, and the detonator, the controller is configured to:
• activate the propellant flow controller to supply the combustible propellant from the propellant vessel to the combustion chamber,
• activate the ignitor to heat and combust the combustible propellant within the combustion chamber to produce combustion gas, the combustion gas exhausted through the exhaust nozzle,
• activate the controllable sensitizer injector to introduce the sensitizer from the sensitizer vessel into the propellant vessel to form an explosive mixture of the combustible propellant and the sensitizer within the propellant vessel, and
• trigger the detonator to cause a detonation of the explosive mixture within the propellant vessel.

A method of operating a rocket propulsion engine, comprising:

• supplying a combustible propellant from a propellant vessel into a combustion chamber, and
• combusting the combustible propellant within the combustion chamber to produce combustion gas, and exhausting the combustion gas through an exhaust nozzle to generate thrust;
• introducing sensitizer from a sensitizer vessel into the propellant vessel to form an explosive mixture of the sensitizer and the combustible propellant within the propellant vessel;
• detonating the explosive mixture within the propellant vessel.