Monica Jackson
Sacramento, Calif.-based firm Aerojet Rocketdyne has tested a new in-space engine that will potentially be used for future robotic operations on the moon.
Aerojet Rocketdyne said Wednesday the ISE-100 engine accumulated 75 individual tests, 774 pulses and over 500 seconds of hot-fire time during the evaluation period.
ISE-100 will now enter the certification phase, which involves more configuration testing with materials certified for flight.
Aerojet Rocketdyne Chief Executive Officer and President Eileen Drake said the company will begin offering propulsion systems like the ISE-100 to support commercial and NASA lunar missions.
The ISE-100 mechanism uses MON-25/MMH propellants, which can be leveraged in deep space environments.
The engine also contains an 3D-printed Titanium injector, which helped ISE-100 complete the tests without anomalies.
Aerojet Rocketdyne recently received a 10-year contract from United Launch Alliance to develop an upper stage engine to power the Vulcan Centaur rocket.
