Regeneratively-Cooled, Turbopump-Fed, LOX/Methane Lunar Ascent Engines

To-date, the realization of small-scale, high-performance liquid bipropellant rocket engines for lunar and other planetary ascent vehicles has largely been limited by the inability to operate at high chamber pressures in a regeneratively-cooled environment using on-board pumps for pressurization of the propellants. Ventions seeks to fulfill this critical need by using a novel fabrication scheme to realize small-scale thrusters and turbopumps, and proposes to extend its previously-demonstrated technologies (under DARPA and NASA sponsored efforts) to develop a micro-scale turbopump for cryogenic propellants in a lunar ascent vehicle.

Non-NASA applications for high-performance micro-rocket engines enabled by the proposed pump technology are likely to include commercial / military launch vehicles for low-cost and on-demand access to space for a variety of micro / small satellite payloads, upper stage propulsion for orbit insertion of commercial satellites, and apogee kick motors for orbit circularization of commercial satellites, etc. Additionally, the pump itself is expected to have non-aerospace applications in industrial pumping settings, and as a replacement for other high-pressure liquid pumps.

The proposed pump concept overcomes a key challenge of providing on-board pressurization for high-performance rocket engines, especially in the micro-scale. Hence, upon eventual integration with complete propulsion systems (thrust chamber, valves / tanks, etc.), it serves as critically-enabling technology for a new generation liquid bipropellant rocket engines in the 1,000-5,000lbf thrust class, with T/W ratios of 150-200, and an Isp of ~355 sec. These engines may be batch-fabricated in a cost-effective manner and modularly stacked to cover a wide range of NASA applications, including lunar ascent / descent missions (precursor rovers, cargo, etc.), Mars sample return missions, nanosat launch vehicles, and Near-Earth-Object missions (sample return, drill reaction for sample implantation, etc.).

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.