L3Harris delivers its first additively manufactured copper thrust chamber RL10 rocket engine to ULA
November 26, 2024
L3Harris Technologies, Melbourne, Florida, USA, has delivered the first RL10 engine that features an additively manufactured copper thrust chamber to United Launch Alliance (ULA).
The latest version, the RL10E-1, uses Additive Manufacturing to reduce the number of parts in the thrust chamber by 98%. The engine is set to fly on a ULA Vulcan rocket next year.
“The RL10 has been the nation’s premier high-performance, upper-stage rocket engine for more than 60 years, propelling hundreds of military, civil and commercial satellites into Earth’s orbit and sending spacecraft to explore every planet in our solar system,” stated Kristin Houston, President, Space Propulsion and Power Systems, Aerojet Rocketdyne, L3Harris. “Incorporating 3D printing enables us to build an engine that maintains the performance and reliability our customers have come to expect, while significantly reducing cost and lead time to meet the demands of today’s marketplace.”
The RL10 is said to be a highly efficient, upper-stage engine capable of making multiple restarts in space to place spacecraft into precise orbits or propel them to interplanetary destinations. This delivery marks the first of 116 RL10E-1 engines L3Harris will deliver to ULA under its latest contract. Two RL10 engines with a combined thrust of approximately 48,000 pounds will power each Vulcan rocket’s upper stage.
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