Aerojet Rocketdyne Completes Critical Design Review

In early 2016, rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne was the recipient of a $6 million contract from the US Air Force to define 3D printed rocket engine component standards. The standards will be used to qualify the 3D printed components used in liquid-fueled rocket engine applications, in order to follow through with a mandate set down by US Congress: that the Department of Defense will stop using Russian-made RD-180 engines to launch US satellites and national security payloads into space and begin using domestically produced options instead. Aerojet, a renowned aerospace and defense leader, was certainly the right company for the Air Force contract, having successfully completed hot-fire testing of the 3D printed rocket engine injectors for its liquid-fueled AR1 booster rocket engine in 2015; selective laser melting was used to manufacture the components. We've learned that Aerojet has also successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) for the 500,000 foot-pound thrust-class AR1 engine. This achievement will keep the AR1 on track for flight certification in 2019, as a replacement for the Russian RD-180 engine. Read more at 3DPrint.com: http://3dprint.com/174377/aerojet-ar...design-review/

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