Using technology developed for the nation’s ballistic missile defense system, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne [UTX] successfully completed hot-fire thruster tests demonstrating the ability of miniaturized thrusters to perform the descent and landing operation for a new generation of multi-use robotic lunar landers.
These tests were part of a series of risk reduction activities undertaken by the Robotic Lunar Lander Development Team at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, located in Huntsville, Ala. During the tests conducted at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, N.M., Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne’s thruster was put through a 16-minute firing sequence to simulate a lunar landing, including continuous burns up to 10 times longer than typically required for missile defense systems. The thruster allows NASA to take advantage of existing technology minimizing additional development cost, risk or delay.
“We’re very pleased to demonstrate that our robust heritage hardware satisfies NASA’s requirements for long-duration missions,” said Cy Bruno, program manager, NASA Propulsion and Strategic Systems, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. “We look forward to the potential of future opportunities to work with NASA to provide more efficient and cost-effective propulsion systems as we continue to advance space exploration.”