RPS has completed its first “Centurion” rocket engine prototype for small satellite space launch vehicles. The engine weighs 33 pounds and costs $100,000 to produce. It is designed to operate on clean burning liquid oxygen and liquid methane propellants and produce 3,300 pounds of thrust. The engine features a fuel-rich staged combustion cycle giving it the ability to perform at high specific impulse, reliability, reusability and scalability to future higher thrust levels. RPS thanks NSF, AFRL Edwards, USSF Threat Reduction Agency, NASA Marshall, NASA Stennis, Reaction Dynamics, Purdue and other distinguished space industry experts for supporting us in Phase I of this project. We are looking forward to hot-fire testing of this engine in Phase II to validate its performance and transition to mass production.

We were honored to host NavalX, NorthWest Tech Bridge and Impact Washington at our facility, share progress on Centurion rocket engine build under NSF Phase I, and discuss potential use of low-cost and reusable boost stages based on Centurion engines for hypersonic boost-glide test vehicles.

RPS was honored to host Kent Mayor Dana Ralph and Chief Economic Development Officer William Ellis at our Kent facility today, and share on progress in building our Centurion rocket engine for future small satellite launchers. We look forward to collaborating with the City of Kent to assist in fulfilling its vision for aerospace and related high technology industrial growth. The engine build is progressing rapidly under NSF SBIR Phase I contract, moving on to the turbomachinery next.

A night-time test at our test facility of high-speed, hot hydrogen flowing in at around 1700 ft/sec (Mach 0.2) and 1500 degrees Fahrenheit to burn with liquid oxygen at extremely low combustion pressures. The test simulates after-burning of hydrogen exhaust from a future nuclear rocket engine – one of (88) hot-fire tests we have successfully run in support of NASA’s nuclear thermal propulsion program for technology demonstration. This work completes Phase I and Phase II efforts led by RPS in 2019-2022. RPS is looking forward to further explore this high-speed combustion technology as dual use for future hypersonic burners and new generation industrial combustors for fighting climate change.

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.

Award # 2050703

We are honored to have been selected by NASA for Phase II contract in support of NASA’s next generation nuclear rocket propulsion development and future inter-planetary transportation. This work continues the Phase I effort started in 2019. Rocket Propulsion Systems team is excited and looking forward to continued collaboration with NASA over the next two years. We are hopeful this effort to culminate in successful technology commercialization, and invite partners to join.

SBIR Award 19-2-H10.01-2792.html