[3] Proposed uses for the device included drilling shallow holes for mineral exploration, construction, underground gasification of coal, water and methane drainage.
[2] The initial design called for an autonomous device equipped with a drill head that would be rotated by expanding gases generated by a propellant burning inside a combustion chamber, in a manner similar to a Segner wheel.
[8][9] The solid fuel version of the device was limited by the volume of propellant it could carry, which was sufficient for 5 to 20 seconds of operation, enough to create a well up to 20 metres deep.
The inventor saw further progress in moving on to liquid fuel rockets, expecting their operational time to be measured in tens of minutes, with potential to be eventually increased to a few hours.
[16] In 1980s, under the supervision of the original inventor's son, Vladimir Tsiferov, the liquid-fuel version of the underground rocket was developed, fueled by gasoline-water mixture and oxygen.