Defense manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne is continually proving its ability to 3D print rocket systems capable of meeting the high-standards of aerospace. After successfully test firing a small, 3D printed Bantam rocket engine this past June, the company announced yesterday that it has gone on to put its MPS-120™ CubeSat High-Impulse Adaptable Modular Propulsion System™ (CHAMPS ™) – which included a 3D printed titanium piston – through a hot-fire test, demonstrating the system’s readiness for launch into space.
The CHAMPS project was funded by the NASA Office of Chief Technologist’s Game Changing Opportunities in Technology Development and awarded out of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center to see the development of a rocket system for carrying small spacecraft, like CubeSats, into space. The rocket uses a hydrazine-integrated propulsion system, including four small rocket engines, feed systems, propellant, pressurant tanks, and a 3D printed titanium piston. And, while the CHAMPS system can run on hydrazine, which is highly toxic, it has also been designed to run on AF-M315E, which NASA believes to have a less harmful effect on the environment and may be more fuel efficient for spacecraft in the long run.…
The original post Aerojet Rocketdyne Successfully Test Fires CubeSat Rocket with 3D Printed Piston appeared first on 3D Printing Industry.