All articles tagged with #chakram
Astrobotic unveils its Chakram rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE), showing three detonation waves that produce a spiraling exhaust flame and delivering over 4,000 pounds of thrust in tests at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, including a 300-second burn believed to be a new RDRE record. The results hint at potential uses from lunar landers to in-space propulsion.
Astrobotic’s Chakram rotating detonation rocket engine achieved a 300-second continuous burn at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, with two prototypes delivering sustained operation, stable detonation, and about 4,000+ pounds of thrust per engine, marking a key step from experimental tests toward flight-ready propulsion for lunar landers and cislunar missions.
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.
Astrobotic tested its Chakram rotating detonation rocket engine at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, firing two prototypes to more than 4,000 pounds of thrust per engine for a combined 470 seconds of burn time across eight hot-fire tests, with no damage observed. The RDRE uses detonation shockwaves in a circular channel to boost efficiency and has potential for lunar landers and deep-space propulsion, supported by NASA SBIR awards and a Space Act Agreement; similar RDRE work is underway by Venus Aerospace and NASA.