The American Rocket Company has developed two large-scale liquid oxygen/polybutadiene hybrid rocket motors at 334,000 N (75,000 lbf) and 1,112,000 N (250,000 lbf) thrust. These hybrid rocket motors or derivatives of these motors can be used as strap-on boosters to replace or upgrade the existing strap-on boosters for the fleet of U.S. launch vehicles and for the planned next generation launch vehicle. Hybrid rocket boosters offer a new solution for boost propulsion since hybrids solve many of the safety and environmental concerns facing solid rocket motor manufacture and operation, yet deliver performance comparable to liquid rocket engines with much less hardware and operational complexity. This paper presents motor performance data from AMROC's 334,000 N and 1,112,000 N thrust hybrid rocket motors. A description of these hybrid motors, their performance specifications, and the key enabling technologies that have been developed at AMROC is presented. The design and development approach for an 850K thrust hybrid motor is described.
Large-Scale Hybrid Motor Performance and Designs for Use in Launch Vehicle Applications
1993
14 pages
Report
No indication
English
Unmanned Spacecraft , Rocket Engines & Motors , Rocket Propellants , Hybrid propellant rocket engines , Hybrid propellants , Launch vehicles , Liquid oxygen , Polybutadiene , Propulsion system performance , Rocket engine design , Booster rocket engines , Functional design specifications , Hybrid propulsion , Propellant grains , Rocket thrust