A team of researchers from the University of Glasgow in Scotland are attempting to develop space rockets that can consume themselves for fuel.

The body of the so-called autophage rockets would reportedly be composed of a tube of solid fuel and liquid oxidizer. Serving as the rocket’s source of fuel, the tube of solid fuel would be vaporized by the engine, releasing the liquid oxidizer and consuming the mixture to generate thrust.

Source: NASA

This, according to the research team, would reduce the amount of waste leftover from space rockets that are launched into space to deliver a payload only to crash land back on Earth. Instead of becoming leftover junk, the autophage rockets would burn up as they deliver their payloads of nanosatellites or other smaller objects.

The rockets, according to the team, would also be smaller in size due to the rocket’s body serving as the fuel source. Rocket size is usually dictated by the amount of fuel needed to complete a mission, producing an even greater amount of waste upon splashdown.