Piston Pump for Rocket Propellant Applications

The development of low cost pumps for rocket propulsion is critical to lowering the cost of satellite launch. The objective of this research project is to continue development of a piston pump begun in Phase I. At that time, a breadboard pump was testedand preliminary design was done for a flight-type pump. This development shows promise of extending the advantages of turbopumped rocket stages to a smaller size range and at a lower cost than turbopumps. Phase II will construct and test a prototypeflight-type pump.Small, light weight, responsive pumps such as this could also find application in divert thrusters, satellite maneuvering stages, satellite boost stages, and planetary sample return missions. This technology can be applied to several military and commercial applications in space launch, sounding rocket, and ballistic missile defense. Also, this technology is applicable to the growing interest in commercial space tourism with exo-atmosphericvehicles. XCOR is already receiving private investment money to develop a suborbital, manned, reusable vehicle capable of addressing three potential markets. We have a contract to provide several hundred flights to Space Adventures LLC for adventuretravel rides. We have on-going discussions with USRA to provide microgravity experiment rides for scientists (sounding rocket flights), and we have identified a market for microsatellite launches. This piston pump technology is critical to our capturingthese markets.