NASA has been using 3D printing technology to develop everything from prototypes to parts to quickly build and manufacture more affordable complex pieces. And now NASA has put its 3D-printed rocket engine to test.
NASA announced on Dec. 17 that it has successfully tested its almost completely 3D-printed rocket engine. Test firing the parts together with cryogenic liquid hydrogen and oxygen, the rocket engine was able to produce 20,000 pounds of thrust.
A team of researchers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., conducted seven separate tests to see if the 3D-printed parts could work the same as traditionally manufactured engine parts.
Previously, the team tested 3D-printed parts like turbo pumps and injectors individually, but this time around the researchers connected the 3D-printed parts together the same way traditional rocket engine parts would be assembled so see if they would work like a real engine.
"We manufactured and then tested about 75 percent of the parts needed to build a 3D-printed rocket engine," Elizabeth Robertson, the project manager for the additively manufactured demonstrator engine at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, said in a statement. "By testing the turbopumps, injectors and valves together, we've shown that it would be possible to build a 3D-printed engine for multiple purposes such as landers, in-space propulsion or rocket engine upper stages."
The researchers tested the 3D-printed engine to undergo the same extreme environments a traditional engine would experience where fuel burns more than 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit to produce thrust.
The team uses cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in the tests because this propellant combination produces the most severe temperatures which can cause the parts to break down.
Because their tests were a success, NASA might be able to rely on the technology to build complex parts more efficiently.
"These NASA tests drive down the costs and risks associated with using additive manufacturing, which is a relatively new process for making aerospace quality parts," said Robertson. "Vendors who had never worked with NASA learned how to make parts robust enough for rocket engines. What we've learned through this project can now be shared with American companies and our partners."
The team also pans to test the parts using propellants such as methane and liquid oxygen since these are key for Martian landers.
Check out NASA's tests in the videos below.
Source: NASA
