Rocket engines are tough pieces of hardware to build, but it’s possible that 3D printing them could be the next big thing. Relativity certainly thinks so, and has raised about a billion dollars — now Launcher is ready to accept your money too, after demonstrating full thrust on its 3D-printed E-2 engine.
Though they’re still a ways off from getting to orbit, a successful test like this is a huge step toward a working launch vehicle. The Launcher Light will be small and very efficient, aiming for a low cost to orbit and quick turnaround. But of course first it needs working engines.
Last week saw the first full-scale thrust test of the E-2, down at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The test demonstrated about 22,046 pound-feet of thrust (about 10 metric tons) using LOX/Kerosene at 100 bars of combustion pressure.
This is the thrust they’ve been aiming for …
