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Aerojet Rocketdyne Wraps Up Hot Fire Tesing of New RL10C-X Space Rocket Engine

Aerojet Rocketdyne Wraps Up Hot Fire Tesing of New RL10C-X Space Rocket Engine - top government contractors - best government contracting event
Aerojet Rocketdyne

Aerojet Rocketdyne has concluded a series of hot fire tests with the 3D printed RL10C-X engine, which is designed to generate 24,000 pounds of thrust for space rockets.

The company said Tuesday it tested RL10C-X in a flight-like configuration to showcase its long-duration endurance and full mission capability.

The test took place in a test chamber designed to replicate an outer space condition, with RL10C-X also demonstrating its ignition capability even at extreme in-flight settings.

The upper-stage engine, which is the latest in the RL10 series, features 3D printed major components including a combustion chamber and an injector.

Eileen Drake, president and CEO of Aerojet Rocketdyne, said the testing's completion demonstrates that 3D-printing can be used in the RL10 program to save resources while not sacrificing engine performance.

RL10C-X has undergone over 5,000 seconds of full-engine, hot fire testing in total.

United Launch Alliance plans to eventually use RL10C-X for the Vulcan Centaur rocket's upper stage. Aerojet Rocketdyne works on RL10C-X in partnership with the U.S. Air Force.

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Written by Nichols Martin

a staff writer at Executive Mosaic, produces articles on the federal government's technology and business interests. The coverage of these articles include government contracting, cybersecurity, information technology, health care and national security.

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