The first full-scale 3D-printed rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) developed by NASA was successfully tested at the agency’s s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

This propulsion system generates thrust using a supersonic combustion phenomenon known as a detonation. The design produces more power while using less fuel than available propulsion systems and has the potential to power both human landers and interplanetary vehicles to deep space destinations, such as the Moon and Mars. The RDRE is engineered with the NASA-developed copper-alloy GRCop-42 to enable the engine to operate under extreme conditions for longer durations without overheating.

NASA engineers successfully conducted a hot fire test of a full-scale RDRE combustor in December 2023. Source: NASA

During an initial test in the summer of 2022, the RDRE produced over 4,000 pounds of thrust for nearly a minute while operating at full throttle at an average chamber pressure of 622 pounds per square inch, the highest pressure rating for this design on record. The latest hot fire test conducted in December 2023 produced more than 5,800 pounds of thrust for 251 seconds.

NASA researchers are now focusing on determining how to scale the technology for higher performance and different thrust classes.