Image source: topwar.ru
New Frontier Aerospace, a startup from the United States, is preparing to bring a 3D-printed hypersonic rocket engine to the market. By the end of the year, the developer plans to install it on the drone to demonstrate its operation and obtain data on product characteristics.
Bill Bruner, CEO of the company, told Paul Brinkmann about this in an interview with Aerospace America magazine columnist.
The startup, headquartered in Washington State, plans to sell relatively compact and LNG-powered Mjolnir engines. The weight of the product is only about 12 kilograms. The company's specialists assume that such power plants will be used on small satellites and rockets.
For the test flight, it is planned to install an engine on a Pathfinder drone. During a short-term flight test, the test 7.3-meter specimen will rise vertically and hover briefly before descending smoothly. The engine performance will also be evaluated during the flight.
Image source: topwar.ru
Based on the data obtained during the tests, New Frontier plans to develop a hypersonic vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, as well as an orbital transport vehicle, which will be called Bifröst.
Image source: topwar.ru
The CEO of the company shared his future plans:
