Astrobotic notches record-setting Chakram RDRE burn in NASA test campaign
Astrobotic completed a series of hot-fire tests of its Chakram rotating detonation rocket engine at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, firing two RDRE prototypes for more than 470 seconds in total and logging a continuous 300-second burn—the longest RDRE test to date. The tests demonstrated stable, thermally steady operation and are expected to inform throttle control, cooling, and mass reduction as the company advances toward flight-ready lunar landers and cislunar transfer vehicles.