SpaceX Kestrel
Pressure fed | |
Performance | |
---|---|
Thrust, vacuum | 28 kN (2.9 tf) |
Thrust-to-weight ratio | 65 |
Chamber pressure | 9.3 bar (135 psi) |
Specific impulse, vacuum | 317 seconds (3.11 km/s) |
Dimensions | |
Dry weight | 52 kg (115 lb) |
References | |
References | [1][2][3] |
The SpaceX Kestrel was an LOX/RP-1 pressure-fed rocket engine. The Kestrel engine was developed in the 2000s by SpaceX for upper stage use on the Falcon 1 rocket. Kestrel is no longer being manufactured; the last flight of Falcon 1 was in 2009.
Kestrel was built around the same pintle architecture as the SpaceX Merlin engine but does not have a turbopump and is fed only by tank pressure.
Kestrel was ablatively cooled in the chamber and throat and radiatively cooled in the nozzle, which was fabricated from a high strength niobium alloy. As a metal, niobium is highly resistant to cracking compared to carbon-carbon. According to SpaceX, an impact from orbital debris or during stage separation might dent the metal but have no meaningful effect on engine performance.[4] Helium pressurant efficiency is substantially increased via a titanium heat exchanger on the ablative/niobium boundary.[5]
Thrust vector control is provided by electro-mechanical actuators on the engine dome for pitch and yaw. Roll control (and attitude control during
A
Kestrel 2
Enhancements to the design of the original Kestrel engine were planned, called the Kestrel 2.[6]
The engine design was still
See also
References
- ^ "Falcon 1 Users Guide" (PDF). SpaceX. 2008-09-28. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 1, 2008.
- ^ spachelaunchreport.com - falcon
- ^ astronautix Archived 2013-12-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Greg Zsidisin (23 March 2007). "SpaceX Confirms Stage Bump On Demoflight 2". Space Daily. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ^ "Falcon 1 Flight Three Press Kit" (PDF). SpaceX. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ^ a b Bjelde, Brian; Max Vozoff; Gwynne Shotwell (August 2007). "The Falcon 1 Launch Vehicle: Demonstration Flights, Status, Manifest, and Upgrade Path". 21st Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites (SSC07 ‐ III ‐ 6). Retrieved 2013-12-06.
- ^ Bergin, Chris; Braddock Gaskill (2007-09-24). "Elon Musk Q and A - Updates SpaceX status on Falcon and Dragon". NASAspaceflight.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2008-06-16.