We are honored to have been awarded an SBIR Phase I by the National Science Foundation to boost the development of the first American high-performance, reliable, high thrust-to-weight and low maintenance liquid rocket engine of 1.5-metric-ton thrust for small 50-180 kg satellite launch vehicle to 700 km Low Earth Orbit, on low-cost liquid oxygen / methane (or liquified natural gas) propellants – Centurion. It is targeted to perform at 310 seconds sea level specific impulse, and 100:1 thrust-to-weight ratio. A two-stage rocket would be propelled by a cluster of 6 Centurions on its 1st stage, and a single vacuum-version Centurion on its upper stage.
The broader impact of this project will be to make the small satellite market more affordable by reducing rocket engine costs by 10x to $100K unit production cost, launch vehicle costs by 2-3x, and total investment in running small-satellite launch services by 5x. Reaching the orbit, the small satellites at large quantities would expand capabilities for military and civilian services in space, from surveillance and weather monitoring to completely new industries such as agricultural earth observation and climate change monitoring, or when combined into constellations, provide wireless and mobile internet services globally to underserved populations. The Centurion engines would also be a perfect fit for military research and development flight demonstrators and prototypes, especially as boosters for hypersonic gliders. Engine sales price is targeted at $150K/engine.
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