A LOX-Cooled, Pump-Fed Rocket Engine for Sample Return Applications

To-date, the realization of small-scale, high-performance propulsion systems for challenging in-space maneuvers requiring high delta-V and acceleration over a short period of time (i.e. sample return), has largely been limited by the lack of regeneratively-cooled thrust chamber assemblies and turbopumps in the 100-1,000lbf thrust class. Ventions proposes to overcome this limitation by developing a 500lbf, LOX-cooled, pump-fed engine for in-space propulsion applications. The Phase I effort will focus on: 1. Overall design of a 500lbf engine; 2. Detailed design and fabrication of a sub-scale, LOX-cooled main combustion chamber; and 3. Experimental hot-fire testing of a LOX / IPA combustion chamber assembly to evaluate cooling channel performance and LOX quality at the injector inlet.