Virgin Galactic has successfully test fired rocket engine designed to power its small satellite launch vehicle, LauncherOne last week. ...
Virgin Galactic has successfully test fired rocket engine designed to power its small satellite launch vehicle, LauncherOne last week.
Long duration, steady-state firings of LauncherOne’s main stage engine and multiple full duration firings of the gas generator for LauncherOne’s upper stage engine were carried out from company’s Mojave, California HQ.
LauncherOne’s orbital flights are achieved using two rocket engines: a single 73,500 lbf thrust ‘NewtonThree’ main stage engine, and a single 5,000 lbf thrust ‘NewtonFour’ upper stage engine.
Both of them are highly reliable, pump-fed LOX/RP-1 liquid rocket engines designed, tested, and built by Virgin Galactic.
Previously, Virgin Galactic completed successful test campaigns on pressure-fed demonstrator engines in each thrust class—the ‘NewtonOne’ and ‘NewtonTwo’ engines.
The latest successful test firing of the NewtonThree engine ran for more than 20 seconds, reaching steady-state operation and allowing the team to capture high quality data about the engine during start-up, operation, and safe shutdown.
Within the same week, Virgin Galactic conducted multiple full-duration test firings of the NewtonFour gas generator, each exceeding six minutes in duration.
Both engines are fed by turbopump assemblies designed in partnership with Barber Nichols Inc., a veteran designer and manufacturer that has previously made turbopumps for NASA, the U.S. military, and private industry.
Development on this engine is expected to continue over the coming months including testing of the full flight configuration.
LauncherOne is designed to provide affordable, reliable, and responsive orbital launches for small satellites. The company announced recently as part of World Business Satellite Week in Paris that for a price below US $10 million,
LauncherOne will launch 200 kg into the high altitude Sun-Synchronous Orbits most commonly desired by small satellite missions, a marked increase from the system’s originally projected performance to that orbit.
Customers will also be able purchase even further increases in performance to the same orbit, as well as launches that reach other altitudes or inclinations.
