ENGINEERING SPACE

LunaRoc Engine

 Test set-up - Post LOX Load

The LunaRoc engine was originally designed, built and successfully tested by aerospace propulsion expert Mark Caviezel.  LunaRoc-2 involved refurbishment and test firing of the engine to return to hot-test fire operational capability and develop in-house hands-on experience building and firing liquid rocket engines.

The 2,000 lbf thrust LunaRoc engine was a regeneratively-cooled liquid rocket engine.  It consisted of an aluminum showerhead injector, copper thrust chamber with a composite nozzle insert, and aluminum cooling jacket.  The propellants were liquid oxygen and an ethanol/water (75-25) mix and ran in blowdown mode with gaseous nitrogen and helium pressurants.

The effort involved disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly of the injector and thrust chamber; modifying a pneumatic/electric control system and instrumentation components; assembling pneumatic actuators; and designing and building a vertical test stand adapter.

The engine test resulted in a hard-start failure.  The initial investigation suggested the failure was due to insufficient ignition authority.  The project however provided invaluable design, analysis, and test experience.

Static Test Fire
(Videography Courtesy of: Rick Maschek)