Additively manufactured rocket engine features an aerospike nozzle for microlaunchers

Press release (No. 7) - Fraunhofer IWS Dresden /

Microlaunchers are an alternative to conventional launch vehicles. Able to carry payloads of up to 350 kilograms, these midsized transport systems are designed to launch small satellites into space. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden and TU Dresden’s aerospace experts developed an additively manufactured rocket engine with an aerospike nozzle for microlaunchers. The scaled metal prototype is expected to consume 30 percent less fuel than conventional engines. It will be presented at the “Hannover Messe 2021 Digital Edition” from April 12 through 16, 2021.