Parabilis Space Technologies, Inc. of San Marcos, CA announced that it had successfully hotfired an additively manufactured (3D-printed) Reaction Control System Thruster at its Lakeside Test Facility. “The thruster was successfully fired using cryogenic oxygen and liquid natural gas. The thruster ignited and ran smoothly for the duration of the test,” said Chris Grainger, Vice President of Engineering.
The goal of the additively manufactured RCS Thruster program is to harness recent advances in additive manufacturing technology, and demonstrate that making a rocket engine ‘art to part’ is now feasible, and cost-effective compared to more traditional techniques. Parabilis expects to proceed with further development and testing of the RCS Thruster to expand its operating envelope. The development plan includes innovations to the cooling channels, propellant injectors, and combustion chamber. A functional test unit will be delivered to NASA upon the conclusion of the program.