Flight-Weight Ceramic Composite Rocket Thruster Assembly

A flight-weight ceramic composite rocket thruster assembly was developed in Phase I for hot-fire evaluation. The objective of this Phase II effort is to further the development and optimization of composite thrusters and methods for attaching end-closures and injectors. In order to obtain performance data to guide the design of optimized flight-weight rocket thrusters, the Phase I assembly will be hot-fire tested early in Phase II. Using extensive instrumentation, the results of this testing will provide the critical empirical information necessary for refining the predictive thermal and structural analysis models used in their design. Hyper-Therm HTC will work directly with MDA technical personnel to define the functional and system requirements for divert and axial propulsion subsystems of interest for future missile applications. Optimized rocket thruster assemblies that meet MDA’s performance and cost needs will be produced and hot-fire tested in Phase II. A 2-stage development effort is planned that will include an initial design and hot-fire test cycle following by a re-design and second hot-fire test iteration leading to the development of weight and performance-optimized propulsion components. It is expected that the results of this proposed Phase II effort will bring the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of flight-weight composite thrusters to the point of systems level insertion and evaluation.