SBIR Phase I: Liquid Oxygen (LOX) - Methane Engine for Small Satellite Launch Vehicles

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，通过提供成本为10万美元的高性能火箭发动机，大大降低了新企业作为小型卫星发射器和服务提供商参与的资本壁垒。在生产方面，这一变化将导致空间发射和卫星部门供应链的重组，从目前的高成本/低产量转变为像飞机或汽车工业那样的低成本/高产量配置。这样的变化也会显著增加高薪的航空航天工程和制造业岗位。在客户端，一旦小卫星进入轨道，它们可以扩展军事和民用空间服务的能力，从监视和天气监测到农业地球观测和气候变化监测等全新行业，或者当组合成大型星座时，为全球服务不足的人口提供无线和移动互联网服务。这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将推动美国制造的高性能、可靠、高推重比和低维护的1.5吨推力液体火箭发动机的发展，用于50-180公斤的小型卫星运载火箭，用于700公里低地球轨道（LEO），使用低成本的液氧(LOX) /甲烷（或液化天然气）推进剂。两级火箭的第一级由六个这样的发动机组成，第一级由一个真空发动机组成。小型卫星业务在过去几年中呈指数级增长，发射需求远远超过供应。预计到2026年，每年的需求/供应发射缺口将在200-700颗卫星之间。第一阶段的主要目标是设计和建造预燃器和推力室组件以及设计涡轮泵组件。第一阶段的结果将提供有关初始发动机重量、可制造性、生产成本的数据，并确定发动机开发的速度、风险状况和资源需求。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to significantly lower the capital barriers for new enterprises to participate as small satellite launchers and service providers, by offering high-performance rocket engines produced at the $100 K cost point. On the production side, this change would lead to a restructuring of space launch and satellite sector supply chains from the current high cost/low volume to a low-cost/high volume configuration as in the aircraft or automotive industries. Such a change could also provide a significant increase in high paying aerospace engineering and manufacturing jobs. On the customer end, once the small satellites reach the orbit, they could expand capabilities for military and civilian services in space, from surveillance and weather monitoring to completely new industries such as agricultural earth observation and climate change monitoring, or when combined into large constellations, provide wireless and mobile internet service globally to underserved populations. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will boost the development of American-made, high-performance, reliable, high thrust-to-weight and low maintenance liquid rocket engines of 1.5-metric-ton thrust for small 50-180 kg satellite launch vehicles to 700 km Low Earth Orbit (LEO), using low-cost liquid oxygen (LOX) / methane (or liquified natural gas) propellants. A two-stage rocket would be propelled by a cluster of six such engines on its 1st stage, and a single vacuum-version of this engine on its upper stage. The small satellite business has been growing exponentially in the last few years, with the launch demand far outpacing supply. The annual demand/supply launch gap is expected to be in the 200-700 satellite range by 2026. The primary objectives of Phase I are to design and build the preburner and thrust chamber assembly and to design the turbopump assembly. The results from Phase I will provide data on the initial engine weight, manufacturability, production cost, and define the pace, risk posture, and resource needs for engine development.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.