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Engine Seen as Advantage for Reaction Control Systems
and Satellite Maneuvering Operations
XCOR
Aerospace, Inc., announced today that it has successfully completed
its first series of tests on a 50 pound thrust rocket engine fueled
by methane and liquid oxygen.
“We
are very pleased with the test results and expect increased
performance in future versions,” said XCOR Chief Engineer Dan
DeLong. “These engine tests gave us operational familiarity
working with methane. We have extensive experience with liquid
oxygen, so running an engine with a cryogenic fuel wasn’t a
stretch for us.”
Future
generations of the 3M9 engine are intended for use as Reaction
Control Systems (RCS) and satellite maneuvering systems. The
advantages of a methane-fueled engine include long-term on-orbit
storage, higher density than hydrogen engines, higher performance
than kerosene engines, and the potential for using methane derived
from the Martian atmosphere as a fuel source.
The
engine tests took place at XCOR’s facilities at Mojave Spaceport
and consisted of 22 engine firings totaling 65 seconds. The longest
engine firing was 7 seconds. This first series of tests was done
with self-pressurizing propellants. Pressure-fed and pump-fed
versions are also in development. Additional technical performance
information may be available upon request.
XCOR
Aerospace is a California corporation located in Mojave, California.
The company is in the business of developing and producing safe,
reliable and reusable rocket engines and rocket powered vehicles.
Contact: Wayne Hammack
The Hammack Group
Phone: 303.469.7479
Fax: 303.469.7494
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