Agile Space Industries goes back to the future with a new throttling moon lander engine
Agile Space Industries is changing the propulsion landscape by developing new rocket engines to meet customer needs.
For the first time since the Space Technologies Lab completed their Critical Design Review [CDR] for the Apollo Lunar Module Descent Engine, a US-built throttling hypergolic lunar lander engine has completed its CDR.
The A2200 is a uniquely capable rocket engine. Unlike most hypergolic rocket engines, the A2200 is regeneratively cooled, allowing it to run at higher performance and for longer durations. The A2200 also utilizes a variable area pintle injector, allowing the engine to rapidly deep throttle to 50% thrust.
The A2200 has been in development at Agile Space Industries since early 2022 and five engines have already been hot fire tested at our Durango, CO Space Propulsion Test Facility.
Agile Space Industries’ CEO Chris Pearson spoke to the investment in infrastructure that enabled this remarkable schedule performance: “Agile has invested in developing rapid in-house design/build/test capability. We are iterating/building/testing designs in less than 2 weeks which is allowing customers to reap the benefit of chemical propulsion innovation.”
NASA’s emphasis on the Artemis program has created a large demand for domestic lunar lander engines and Agile Space is excited to be providing this capability to the US industrial base. Every successful moon landing so far has used a throttling hypergolic rocket engine and A2200 returns this capability to the domestic supply chain. A2200 pairs with Agile Space Industries’ A110 thruster, which was successfully qualified earlier this year, to provide a lunar-landing qualified pair of ACS and Axial engines.
The Chief Engineer of the A2200, Charlie Garcia, spoke on the significance of this milestone “This engine will enable a new generation to explore the lunar surface and unlock the riches and secrets of the lunar south pole.”
The A2200 is being developed for anchor customer ispace US who is preparing a 2025 launch of their Apex 1.0 lander to the Schrödinger Basin as part of Team Draper. Team Draper was selected by NASA to fly the mission to the far side of the lunar south pole earlier this year, joining Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines, and Firefly in their lunar missions.
The bipropellant throttling engine for dynamic in-space flight maneuvers has now advanced to the next stages of its development and production cycle. Both internal and external expert teams have rigorously reviewed the chemical propulsion system, and it has passed all scrutiny with flying colors. Agile Space Industries' successful completion of the Critical Design Review for the A2200 Engine represents a significant milestone in America’s return to the Moon.
ARTICLE WRITTEN BY Charlie Garcia ON NOV 3rd, 2023
About Agile Space Industries
Agile Space Industries is an in-space propulsion solution provider, specializing in hypergolic chemical systems. Agile has industry leading expertise in the design of chemical-propulsion rocket thrusters. Rapid prototyping, development, qualification, and delivery is catalyzed by in-house additive manufacturing and engine test capability. The company employs more than 65 people between facilities in Durango, Colorado and Mount Pleasant, PA that specialize in component, system development, test and additive manufacturing. Agile is working with numerous primes as well as the US Government on various spacecraft and launch vehicle propulsion projects. For more information, visit agilespaceindustries.com.
Agile Space media contact:
Juleah Kaliski
Juleah.kaliski@agilespaceindustries.com
530.351.2179
