#rl10

"This drawing clearly shows the comparative sizes of the rocket engines used to launch the Saturn vehicles. The RL-10 and the H-1 engines were used to launch the Saturn I rockets. The J-2 engine was used on the second stage of Saturn IB and the second and third stages of Saturn V. The F-1 engine was used on the first stage of the Saturn V."

Date: January 30, 1963

"Apollo/Saturn I rocket, artist's conception of S-IV stage separation in space. S-IV stage separation in space, with the six RL-10 engines kicking the payload into orbit. New power for space will come from America's first liquid-hydrogen engine, the RL-10. This upper-stage powerplant is being developed by Pratt & Whitney Aircraft for NASA's Marshall Space flight Center. The RL-10 is designed to stop and start in deep space, with advanced models offering throttle control of power."

"In this advertisement from the May 1963 issue of National Geographic magazine, Pratt & Whitney, the manufacturer of the RL-10 rocket engine used by the S-IV (second) stage of the Saturn I, touts the benefits of their liquid hydrogen engine. This ad ran several months before the first flight of the S-IV stage, which took place with the January 29, 1964 flight of SA-5, the first Saturn I launch featuring a live second stage."

Date: May 1963

RL-10 successfully completes hotfire tests

A re-generatively cooled, 3-D printed thrust chamber assembly for the next generation of RL10 rocket engines undergoes hot-fire testing at Aerojet Rocketdyne’s facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc.

The use of 3D printing in spaceflight took another step forward in early 2018 when Aerojet Rocketdyne completed a series of hotfire tests of a new model of the RL1…

ULA’s Vulcan rocket upper stage to use RL10 engine

Aerojet Rocketdyne tests a full-scale, 3-D printed thrust chamber for the company’s RL10 engine. Photo Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced it has selected Aerojet Rocketdyne’s RL10 engine to power the Centaur upper stage of the Vulcan rocket, which is currently in development. According to the agreement, Aerojet Rocketdyne is expectedto produce engines for ULA for…

Aerojet Rocketdyne applies 21st century manufacturing technology to 20th century workhorse engine

Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed a series of hot fire tests of a thrust chamber manufactured by 3-D printing. Photo credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3-D printing, holds the promise of greatly reducing manufacturing times and costs across a broad range of industries, not the least of which is aerospace propulsion. In a bid to reduce costs on one of the…

RL10 test paves the way for future Starliner flights

Commercial Crew Program (CCP) astronauts visit Aerojet Rocketdyne to see RL10 engine test. Photo Credit: NASA / Dimitri Gerondidakis

Inside a vast vacuum chamber in West Palm Beach, Florida, Aerojet Rocketdyne tested one of the RL10 engines that will carry the first Boeing CST-100 Starlinerspacecraft into orbit. This successful test run was conducted to evaluate the engine’s performance prior to…