The new L3Harris RL10E-1 rocket engine features a 3D-printed copper thrust chamber built with 98% fewer parts than traditional RL10 engines.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 21, 2024 — L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has delivered the first RL10 engine that features a 3D-printed copper thrust chamber to United Launch Alliance (ULA).
The latest iteration, called the RL10E-1, uses 3D printing to enable a 98% reduction in the number of parts that make up the thrust chamber. The engine is set to fly on a ULA Vulcan rocket next year.
“The RL10 has been the nation's premier high-performance, upper-stage rocket engine for more than 60 years, propelling hundreds of military, civil and commercial satellites into Earth's orbit and sending spacecraft to explore every planet in our solar system,” said Kristin Houston, President, Space Propulsion and Power Systems, Aerojet Rocketdyne, L3Harris. “Incorporating 3D printing enables us to build an engine that maintains the performance and reliability our customers have come to expect, while significantly reducing cost and lead time to meet the demands of today’s marketplace.”
The RL10 is a highly efficient, upper-stage engine capable of making multiple restarts in space to place spacecraft into precise orbits or propel them to interplanetary destinations. This delivery marks the first of 116 RL10E-1 engines L3Harris will deliver to ULA under its latest contract. Two RL10 engines with a combined thrust of approximately 48,000 pounds will power each Vulcan rocket upper stage.
About L3Harris Technologies
L3Harris Technologies is the Trusted Disruptor in the defense industry. With customers’ mission-critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security. Visit L3Harris.com for more information.
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