The world's first 3D-printed, battery powered rocket engine destined for space

[Ichingcarpenter]

The cost of getting into space is -- pardon the pun -- astronomical, but New Zealand-based startup Rocket Lab believes it will be able to reduce average launch costs by 95 percent.

This is down to its lightweight satellite launcher, Electron -- and, partially, Electron's Rutherford engine, newly unveiled at the annual Space Symposium in Colorado, USA. According to the company, it has been able to reduce the amount of liquid fuel used -- and is able to get a satellite into orbit around the Earth using the same amount of fuel it takes a jet-liner to get from Los Angeles to San Francisco.


This is thanks to the 4,600lbf engine's system of turbopumps, which inject the propellant into the engine. While the engine still uses liquid rocket fuel as a propellant -- liquid oxygen and refined kerosene -- its turbopumps are powered differently.

Usually, turbopumps are driven by a turbine powered by fuel, such as liquid oxygen or gaseous hydrogen -- but Rutherford's turbopumps are driven by brushless DC electric motors powered by lithium-polymer batteries.

Moreover, the company said, Rutherford is the first LOX-RP-1 engine to use 3D printing for all its primary components -- including the regeneratively cooled thrust chamber, the injector, the pumps and the main propellant valves. These can all be printed from titanium alloys within around three days using a 3D printing technique called electron beam melting; traditionally, manufacturing the parts would take months.

This engine would then power both stages of the rocket -- nine Rutherfords in its tail end, and one in its nose......................................


http://www.cnet.com/news/the-worlds-first-3d-printed-battery-powered-rocket-engine-destined-for-space/

[phantom power]

1. I'm impressed they can get the required material strength out of the 3d printer

Rocket engine is a hostile environment.