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Completed TRL 4 (started at 4, targeting 4)
Under the 2019 Blue Origin Tipping Point contract, Blue Origin's original goal was to build and test a full-scale In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen (LO2/LH2) liquefaction and storage prototype testbed that could be used or replicated on the first flight Blue Moon descent lander. The test bed would use full-scale Blue Moon hardware and commercial cryocooler systems. This Tipping Point resulted in a contract descope. The goals of this activity after contract descope were to develop a cryocooler cycle model, perform cryocooler performance test(s), and apply cryocooler performance data to a conceptual full-scale hydrogen liquefaction system for rocket propellant production on the Moon.
Blue Origin successfully tested a commercial 15K turbo-alternator, developed an in-house 20K turbo-alternator, demonstrated performance of 4 turbo compressors to achieve a speed of 230,000 RPM, and developed a model of a conceptual hydrogen liquefaction system for rocket propellant on the Moon. The TRL evaluation by NASA showed the liquefaction plant at TRL 3 and the cryocooler system at TRL 4 at contract closeout.
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