NASA Funding Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine work (Non-SpaceX)

[scaesare]

Not SpaceX related, but interesting: NASA Funding Development of “Game-Changing” Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines - The Debrief

(on edit: Gah... that title should have been "funding"... I thought I used to be able to delete my own post, but can't seem to... Mods, you mind correcting? Thanks...)

 

[fhteagle]

 

[JB47394]

but interesting:

It's great to see NASA funding that. Imagine a 25% more efficient rocket engine.

 

[SwTslaGrl]

I'm not convinced this engine will work at scale needed for propulsion. I'm thinking about the direction of the force, the energy needs to change direction to go in a circle and the camber wall have to apply an equal force to change the direction. The useful propulsion force could be reduced? Perhaps I need to study the research paper more.

 

[JB47394]

I'm thinking about the direction of the force, the energy needs to change direction to go in a circle

See if your thinking changes after watching this Scott Manley video.

 

[JB47394]

Not a test flight of the engine, only of a drone that they want to use. So they were essentially testing infrastructure.

The company building a rotating detonation engine is pushing the tech forward

"I'm convinced that this is going to be the engine that unlocks the hypersonic economy."

arstechnica.com

Duggleby said Venus is considering a couple of options for its next test. If it can identify a range for supersonic flight, it may attach its existing rotating detonation engine to the 8-foot drone. The current engine, which has a firing ring 4 inches in diameter, produces about 1,200 pounds of thrust. Such a test flight, if Venus opts for this route, could take place later this year. The company would go for Mach 2 or 3 on such a test.

 

[scaesare]

Not a test flight of the engine, only of a drone that they want to use. So they were essentially testing infrastructure.

The company building a rotating detonation engine is pushing the tech forward

"I'm convinced that this is going to be the engine that unlocks the hypersonic economy."

arstechnica.com

I found that a bit of a misleading (or at least mis-matched) title/article... honestly a bit of a nothing-burger if they simply flew a drone without the novel engine design they are working on.

 

[JB47394]

I found that a bit of a misleading (or at least mis-matched) title/article... honestly a bit of a nothing-burger if they simply flew a drone without the novel engine design they are working on.

Which is why I prefaced the link with a clarification. I still considered it interesting because they're going beyond the seeming terminal phase of all these funky engine experiments, where they get tested on the bench and then we never hear about them again. These guys have made it clear that they want to fly the engine. In the spirit of "follow the money", they're serious.

 

[scaesare]

Yeah, wasn't meaning your posting of it, but rather once I realized it when I saw on Ars earlier...