Astrobotic’s 4,000-Pound Thrust Engine Roars in New Test
▼ Summary
– Astrobotic successfully tested its rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE), which generates thrust through supersonic combustion.
– Two engine prototypes produced over 4,000 pounds of thrust each for a combined 470 seconds of runtime, including a 300-second burn.
– RDRE technology is more efficient and compact than traditional rocket engines, using detonations traveling around a circular channel to create thrust via shockwaves.
– The engine, named Chakram, passed eight hot fire tests with no damage, performing better than expected.
– Astrobotic plans to use RDRE technology for future lunar landers and in-space orbital transfer vehicles, with further development and test campaigns ongoing.
Space startup Astrobotic has successfully conducted the first test of its rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE), a cutting-edge propulsion system that generates thrust through supersonic combustion. The milestone brings the private space industry closer to more efficient engines capable of powering crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.
A series of hot-fire tests were completed on two engine prototypes at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Each unit generated more than 4,000 pounds of thrust (1,800 kilograms) over a combined 470 seconds of total runtime, including a single burn lasting 300 seconds. The demonstrations mark a significant step forward in developing next-generation rocket propulsion.
Unlike traditional rocket engines that ignite fuel to produce exhaust, an RDRE relies on a series of detonations traveling around a circular channel. These detonations combine highly pressurized propellant with an oxidizer inside the combustion chamber, creating thrust from shockwaves rather than conventional combustion. The result is a more efficient system that uses less fuel and occupies less space than comparable propulsion technologies.
Astrobotic’s prototype, named Chakram, was developed with support from two NASA Small Business Innovation Research awards and a Space Act Agreement with NASA Marshall. “This was pulled off by a small group working on a modest budget,” said Travis Vazansky, Astrobotic’s RDRE program manager. “Seeing the engine perform flawlessly on its first attempt is a testament to their acumen, ingenuity, and scrappiness.”
The Pittsburgh-based company reported that the engine aced all eight hot fire tests, with no signs of damage during firing. “With any cutting-edge technology like an RDRE, moving from design into testing, you’re always worried about unknown factors that could be critical to performance. But the engine performed even better than expected,” said Bryant Avalos, Astrobotic’s principal investigator for the Chakram program.
Astrobotic is known as a Moon company, developing lunar landers for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. In 2024, it became the first U. S. commercial company to launch a lander toward the Moon with its Peregrine mission, though the spacecraft failed to achieve a soft landing due to a propulsion system anomaly. A follow-up mission to the lunar south pole is scheduled for later this year. “RDRE technology could support a wide range of Astrobotic missions, from propulsion on future lunar landers to in-space orbital transfer vehicles, and other capabilities that will help expand operations throughout cislunar space,” Avalos said.
Following the recent tests, Astrobotic plans to continue developing the engine through a series of design iterations and test campaigns. The company is not alone in advancing this technology. In May 2025, Houston-based Venus Aerospace used its own RDRE to propel a small rocket to an altitude of 4,400 feet (1,340 meters) above the New Mexico desert. NASA is also developing its own detonating engine, which first began testing in 2022. A year later, a 3D printed prototype produced more than 5,800 pounds of thrust for 251 seconds during a hot fire test.
(Source: Gizmodo.com)
