The high cost of launch
vehicles, especially rocket engines, has always restricted humans from carrying
out large-scale space activities. As the core component of a liquid propellant
rocket engine, the thrust chamber occupies 1/3 to 1/2 of the cost of an engine. If its cost can effectively
reduce, then the large-scale production of liquid engines can be achieved and the
cost of commercial space activities can be truly reduced.
Yu Yuan, the senior engineer
of a Chinese private space company, LandSpace Technology Co., has been working
towards this goal since 2017. His innovative work on pin-injector comprehensively
uses new technologies and achievements in materials and manufacturing fields in
China, such as high-strength and high-conductivity copper alloys, rapid
electroforming nickel, hot isostatic pressing, and robot lasers welding.
The outcomes have
significantly shortened the production cycle of the thrust chamber, and to some
extent automated the thrust chamber production, thereby resolving the
scalability and cost issue in the mass production process of thrust chambers.
When everything finally goes
into production, the effect is outstanding. It takes LandSpace about
100 days, from design to production, to produce a thrust chamber for a 10 ton liquid
oxygen methane engine. In contrast, the traditional process takes about one
year.
Compared to the traditional process, a 100-ton liquid oxygen methane thrust chamber, that is currently under
development, is 25% lighter, the production cycle is shortened by more
than one year, and the manufacturing cost is 70% less. It can be reused more than 20 times, establishing a basis for rocket reusability in the future.
In Yuan’s view, these
innovative efforts can truly make space more accessible, and become the
fundamental technologies for other space programs like global low-orbiting
wireless network constellations, large-scale orbital space stations, and
personal space tourism.
