Ramona Adams
Aerojet Rocketdyne has run hot-fire tests to validate the design of the AR1 rocket engine’s preburner.
The company said Thursday the preburner will help drive the turbomachinery of AR1 engine and was built through modern techniques such as three-dimensional printing.
Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of advanced space and launch programs and strategy at Aerojet Rocketdyne, said the preburner features the company’s Mondaloy 200 burn resistant nickel-based super alloy.
Mondaloy is designed to eliminate the need for exotic metal coatings currently used in the Russian-built RD-180 engine that AR1 will replace, Kleeck added.
Aerojet Rocketdyne noted the preburner design validation builds on the company’s efforts to help end U.S. dependence on foreign engine technology for military space launches.
The company’s engine design team has now completed a series of 22 component critical design reviews on AR1 and will perform an engine system critical design review to support engine qualification and certification in 2019.
