Rotating detonation engine successfully tested in space for the first time
The Japanese Space Agency published a message stating the first successful inclusion in outer space of the engine of an innovative design, in which annular detonation waves.
New engines and their prospects
As you know, conventional jet engines, in fact, have already reached their theoretical ceiling. It is for this reason that engineers are actively looking for alternative and more promising engines, including the so-called detonation ones.
In such engines, fuel combustion occurs in an explosive manner, and the combustion products are ejected at a supersonic speed. This principle allows full use of fuel and, thus, to achieve significantly higher speed and productivity.
So, rotating detonation engines are considered a rather promising option, in which shock waves propagate through an annular channel.
Launch into orbit and first turn on
Such an engine was launched into orbit using the S-520 (N31) meteorological rocket, which is capable of ascending to the upper atmosphere.
So S-520 was launched from the Uchinoura cosmodrome, located in the southern part of Japan. 4 minutes after launch, the carrier rocket reached an altitude of 235 kilometers and 8 minutes later from the launch from the cosmodrome sank into the sea, where he was immediately taken by engineers who need a capsule with recorded data related to tests.
So, according to the first decrypted data, JAXA engineers reported a successful test. So after the first stage separated from the rocket, the detonation engine successfully turned on and worked for at least 6 seconds, while providing a thrust of 500 Newtons.
In addition, the impulse detonation engine was also tested. Although this event was not the first in history, the successful inclusion itself should also be noted.
Well, the time is not far off when rotating detonation engines will be actively used in many spacecraft studying both near and deep space.
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