Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has a new spacecraft engine that is truly “green”. The engine is fueled by non-toxic propellants combining liquid oxygen and liquid methane. The engine has possible use for NASA human explorations missions to the Moon, Mars, and more.
The company’s TR408 2G, oxygen-methane, 100 pound-force reaction control engine (RCE) was designed for the Propulsion and Cryogenics Advanced Development Project within NASA‘s Exploration Technology Development Program. The TR408 features robust operation over widely variable propellant conditions. Propulsion systems using engines like the TR408 may have the potential to use green propellants produced from lunar or Martian soil. Key advances include an integrated igniter, an electroformed close-out of the regeneratively-cooled chamber, and a large area ratio nozzle. The engine features robust operation over widely variable propellant conditions. The current design has the necessary fidelity to retire the next level of RCE technology risks. The upcoming test campaign will focus on verifying pulse-mode and steady-state performance at nominal and extreme propellant interface conditions. All will conclude with long-duration, steady-state tests aimed at collecting nozzle performance data and validating the high performance capabilities of the oxygen-methane propellant combination. The anticipated performance is made possible by coupling the regeneratively-cooled TR408 RCE with a high area ratio nozzle. (Photo of the TR408 engine is courtesy of Northrop Grumman.)
