{"id":14250,"date":"2017-10-20T18:38:42","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T10:38:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/worlds-largest-methane-fueled-rocket-engine-test-fired-by-blue-origin\/"},"modified":"2017-10-20T18:38:42","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T10:38:42","slug":"worlds-largest-methane-fueled-rocket-engine-test-fired-by-blue-origin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/worlds-largest-methane-fueled-rocket-engine-test-fired-by-blue-origin\/","title":{"rendered":"World\u2019s largest methane-fueled rocket engine test-fired by Blue Origin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>EDITOR\u2019S NOTE:<\/em><\/strong><em>&nbsp;<\/em><strong>Updated at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT) with ULA statement.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=921095318669873154&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2017%2F10%2F20%2Fworlds-largest-methane-fueled-rocket-engine-test-fired-by-blue-origin%2F&amp;sessionId=604087aeb62b141d1787ead4d27ed308d884cf9a&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782700062177349757=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">First hotfire of our BE-4 engine is a success #GradatimFerociter pic.twitter.com\/xuotdzfDjF<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Blue Origin (@blueorigin) October 19, 2017<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin has conducted the first hotfire test of its BE-4 rocket engine in West Texas, a powerplant fueled by liquified natural gas and liquid oxygen that will power the company\u2019s heavy-lift New Glenn rocket and perhaps United Launch Alliance\u2019s next-generation Vulcan launcher, officials announced Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>The company released a six-second video of the test-firing, showing the engine from four angles. A Blue Origin spokesperson did not respond to questions on the hotfire test, and officials did not disclose the duration of the test or the engine\u2019s throttle setting.<\/p>\n<p>Backed by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin has developed the BE-4 engine with mostly private funding for multiple uses.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin\u2019s New Glenn rocket, set for an inaugural launch around 2020, will have seven BE-4 engines on its first stage, and a single BE-4 engine on its second stage. United Launch Alliance has tapped the BE-4 as the primary engine option for the Vulcan rocket, a replacement for the company\u2019s Atlas 5 rocket scheduled to debut around the end of 2019.<\/p>\n<p>The reusable BE-4 can produce 550,000 pounds of thrust at sea level, making it the highest-power methane-fueled rocket engine ever built. SpaceX is working on its own high-performance methane-burning engine, called the Raptor, which company chief Elon Musk said last month will generate around 380,000 pounds of sea level thrust.<\/p>\n<p>The BE-4 hotfire test is a significant milestone in the engine\u2019s development after Blue Origin started developing the powerplant in 2011.&nbsp;Blue Origin originally intended the BE-4 to produce about 400,000 pounds of thrust for its own commercial New Glenn launcher, but ULA partnered in the engine\u2019s development in 2014, and engineers scaled it up to produce nearly 40 percent more thrust.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCongratulations to the entire Blue Origin team on the successful hotfire of a full-scale BE-4 engine,\u201d ULA said in a statement. \u201cThis is a tremendous accomplishment in the development of a new engine.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28090\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28090\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-28090\" src=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/newglenn.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"676\" height=\"520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/newglenn.jpg 1168w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/newglenn-300x231.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/newglenn-768x591.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/newglenn-678x522.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28090\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist\u2019s concept of Blue Origin\u2019s New Glenn rocket. Credit: Blue Origin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jointly owned by aerospace contractors Boeing and Lockheed Martin, ULA has partially funded the BE-4\u2019s development with private capital, but most of the engine\u2019s funding has come from steady investments by Bezos \u2014 the second-richest American, according to a ranking by Forbes.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Air Force has also committed at least $46 million to help integrate the BE-4 engine on ULA\u2019s Vulcan rocket, which the military aims to use for launches of national security satellites.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor our new rocket, the Vulcan, the majority of its investment is private, and the majority of that is actually in our own supply chain, which, by definition, is private,\u201d said Tory Bruno,&nbsp;ULA\u2019s president and chief executive.<\/p>\n<p>Bruno said in April his team would confirm the BE-4\u2019s selection for the Vulcan rocket once the engine completed an initial series of hotfire tests. He said ULA\u2019s engineers wanted to examine the engine\u2019s performance before a final decision on the Vulcan\u2019s propulsion system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhenever you develop a new liquid rocket engine, if you change the fuel, or if you stay with the same fuel and change the scale of the engine, or if you keep the scale, keep the fuel but change the thermodynamic cycle \u2026 Any one of those three variables can create a situation we call combustion instability,\u201d Bruno said.<\/p>\n<p>All three variables are new with the BE-4, which uses oxygen-rich staged combustion technology, a technique that minimizes propellant waste during launch. U.S. rockets are currently powered by solid-fueled boosters or liquid-fueled engines burning RP-1 kerosene or liquid hydrogen, not liquified natural gas, or methane.<\/p>\n<p>Engineers contend the methane fuel used on the BE-4 makes it easier to reuse than kerosene-fueled engines like SpaceX\u2019s Merlin powerplant, leaving less soot and other contaminants that might need to be cleaned out between flights.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin intends to land the New Glenn rocket\u2019s first stage on an ocean-going barge, similar to the recovery technique pioneered by SpaceX. ULA\u2019s Vulcan rocket will initially fly as an expendable rocket, but the company is working on plans to recover first stage engines \u2014 not the entire booster \u2014 with a parafoil and helicopter for refurbishment and reuse.<\/p>\n<p>The BE-4 engine suffered a setback in May, when Blue Origin announced it lost a set of BE-4 powerpack hardware during a ground test mishap. The company said such problems were not unusual in engine development, without disclosing further details.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin announced in April that the first BE-4 engine was installed on its test stand at Bezos\u2019s ranch near Van Horn, Texas, adding that the first hotfire test was expected \u201cvery soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The BE-4 engine\u2019s development has been based at Blue Origin\u2019s headquarters in Kent, Washington. Once in full production, the engines will be assembled at a new facility in Huntsville, Alabama.<\/p>\n<p>ULA has not announced a timetable for a final decision on the Vulcan rocket\u2019s first stage engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne is working on an alternative engine, called the AR1, which burns kerosene and liquid oxygen.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14395\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14395\" style=\"width: 675px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14395\" src=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/vulcan_400series1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"675\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/vulcan_400series1.jpg 675w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/vulcan_400series1-300x177.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14395\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist\u2019s concept of a Vulcan rocket with a 4-meter payload fairing made by Ruag Space and multiple strap-on solid rocket boosters. Credit: ULA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>ULA says the BE-4 engine is about two years ahead of the AR1 in development, and a Vulcan rocket with Blue Origin-built engines would be ready to fly before the AR1. But Aerojet Rocketdyne has maintained that the AR1 is the less risky option.<\/p>\n<p>The Vulcan\u2019s first stage will be powered by two BE-4s or two AR1s, ending ULA\u2019s reliance on Russian-built RD-180 engines, which currently power the company\u2019s Atlas 5 workhorse. ULA plans next year to retire most of its Delta 4 rocket family, which uses U.S.-built engines but is more expensive than the Atlas 5. The Delta 4-Heavy rocket, featuring three first stage booster cores, will continue flying to ensure the U.S. military\u2019s heaviest satellites have a ride to orbit.<\/p>\n<p>Once the Vulcan rocket is operational, the Atlas 5 will be retired some time in the early-to-mid 2020s.<\/p>\n<p>Bruno said last month that ULA aims to complete the Vulcan rocket\u2019s critical design review by the end of this year, then begin offering the new rocket in the commercial launch market.<\/p>\n<p>The review, known by the acronym CDR, is a major step in finalizing a rocket\u2019s design and readying it for final testing and production. ULA must settle on an engine for the Vulcan rocket before completing the review, Bruno said in remarks at last month\u2019s World Satellite Business Week event in Paris.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou cannot really conduct or complete a CDR \u2014 you might be able to start, but you can\u2019t finish \u2014 until you have baselined your engine, so those are tied together,\u201d Bruno said. \u201cEngine development for both our providers is going well. It is event-driven \u2026 When we reach that technical maturity, we\u2019ll be able to select. I hope to do that soon, and then that allows us to go ahead and complete the critical design review.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EDITOR\u2019S NOTE:&nbsp;Updated at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT) with ULA statement. First hotfire of our BE-4 engine is a success #GradatimFerociter pic.twitter.com\/xuotdzfDjF \u2014 Blue Origin (@blueorigin) October 19, 2017 Blue Origin has conducted the first hotfire test of its BE-4 rocket engine in West Texas, a powerplant fueled by liquified natural gas and liquid oxygen [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1211,509,291,510,750,364],"class_list":["post-14250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-be-4","tag-blue-origin","tag-commercial-space","tag-new-glenn","tag-united-launch-alliance","tag-vulcan"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14250"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14250\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}