NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.–Blue Origin is currently testing its powerpack for the BE-4 engine and is on path for full engine testing by the end of 2016, a company executive said here Wednesday.
Blue Origin Director for Strategy and Business Development Bretton Alexander said the company is testing the subscale of the engine and has already tested full scale injectors and multiple injector elements. Blue Origin, he said, has tested all of the BE-4 pumps, valves and components. Presentation slides shown during Alexander’s presentation said the valve testing included fuel, oxidizer and preburner fuel valves.
All this testing, Alexander said, allows for early discovery of issues before the BE-4 reaches the test stand at the end of 2016. He said the BE-4 will be qualified by the end of 2017, a key milestone as United Launch Alliance (ULA) plans for a 2019 first flight of its next-generation Vulcan launch vehicle, which is slated to use the BE-4. The Air Force is also required to get off the Russian-developed RD-180 for space launch by 2019.
The BE-4 uses liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas to produce 550,000 pounds of thrust at sea level. Blue Origin is partnering with ULA, which is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Boeing [BA].
Blue Origin is also testing the BE-4’s staged combustion. This includes preburner injection elements, main combustion chamber injector elements and regenerative cooling. Alexander said at the Air Force Association’s (AFA) Air and Space conference that Blue Origin has performed more than 80 staged combustion tests. Aerojet Rocketdyne [AJRD] is also under contract with ULA to provide a competitive cost estimate, schedule and risk management plan for the AR-1 engine as well as the RS-68, RL-10 and solid rocket motors (Defense Daily; Sept. 30, 2014). ULA is also considering using the AR-1 in its Vulcan launch vehicle.
Blue Origin announced last week that it was expanding its existing BE-4 engine production capability to accommodate the initial production rate needed for Vulcan.