DESIGN, FABRICATION, AND HOVER TEST OF EXOS HVRR-RDRE

“Rotating detonation rocket engines have the potential to make rockets lighter, faster, and more efficient. We’re looking forward to working with our industry partners to test this new technology that could ultimately propel humanity further into space.” Dr. Shawn Phillips, Chief of AFRL's Rocket Propulsion Division. “The ultimate goal for us is to get to an enduring tactically responsive space capability by the 2025 or 2026 timeframe.”                                                            Lt. Col. MacKenzie Birchenough, Space System Command. RDRE’s, which exist only in test-bed boilerplate configuration, promise to drastically increase performance whilst reducing size and dry mass of launch vehicles. EXOS believes that there is considerable potential to leverage RDRE technology to  “…focus on developing leading-edge technologies and delivering advanced weapon systems to our warfighters. We need America’s small businesses if we are to accomplish this.”                                                                                        Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, MDA Director  EXOS is uniquely qualified to successfully build and test the HVRR-RDRE. The EXOS team has built several hover (lunar lander) vehicles. One of these was for NASA JSC, Project Morpheus, which incorporated a NASA furnished LOX-LCH4 engine. The project was completed on time, within budget, and successfully flown several times. RDREs have significant potential in both DoD and commercial applications but they are relatively unproven in flightconfiguration. Before risking an expensive full scale launch vehicle with this promising technology, it makes eminent sense to test on a subscale vehicle. For the EXOS HVRR-RDRE, EXOS is proposing to design, and static / hover test a scaled down version of the BLK3 Reusable Precision Suborbital Launch Vehicle. This was developed under an AFWERX/USAF SBIR, and successfully static / hover tested.  The BLK3 was fabricated with EXOS-SSLC Carbon Fiber Composite tanks and structure to achieve a low dry mass and increase hover flight time. The HVRR-RDRE would also use the same Main Flight Computer, TTS, Roll Control, and Thrust Vector Control by engine gimbal that haves been proven on all our earlier vehicles. The Type V linerless, prop tanks are TRL9 space rated, and recent examples are now sitting on the lunar surface (IM Nova C lander) This approach drastically reduces the program risk and time to successfully complete. Moreover, the EXOS team was intimately involved in the development of the regulations related to “hanging hover tests” in conjunction with FAA AST. To this day, every EXOS Suborbital Sounding Rocket is tie-down tested (100% throttle) and hover tested to verify that the GNC and ACS are correctly configured. We have conducted dozens of such tests at our Caddo Mills Municipal Airport test center including free hover tests to 50-m and a boost to 1,200m, freefall, reignite and powered landing back on the launch pad.