Colorado-based United Launch Alliance (ULA) has been developing a backup engine for the new Next Generation Launch System “Vulcan” booster rocket – Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AR-1. The back-up engine has recently completed a milestone in its development.
In total, the AR-1 has conducted some 155 staged-combustion tests as well as turbomachinery and valve tests and has even carried out hot-fire tests of additively manufactured (3-D printed) elements of the rocket.
The AR-1’s 18 components and subsystems were checked out during the design review to ensure that they would work as advertised once integrated onto the Vulcan booster.
The AR-1 is currently slated to undergo full-scale engine testing as early as 2017, with the engine potentially being certified as early as 2019.