Propulsion system manufacturerAerojet Rocketdyne迄今已从太空发射公司获得了最大的RL10合同United Launch Alliance（ULA）。
作为交易的一部分，Aerojet Rocketdyne将将其部分3D印刷的RL10C-X发动机提供给ULA，以供后者用于后者的新型重型Lift Vulcan Centaur Rockets。
ULA will use its new 3D printed engines to support the launch of e-commerce giant Amazon’s upcoming Kuiper satellite constellation. Competing with SpaceX’s Starlink, the initiative is set to increase global broadband access via a constellation of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Project Kuiper is said to be the world’s largest commercial launch contract in history, with Amazon awarding up to 83 launches over a five-year period.
“The RL10 is the highest performance upper-stage rocket engine flying today,” said Tory Bruno, ULA President and CEO. “We’re proud to be launching the Kuiper constellation with the next generation of this incredibly reliable and high-performance engine.”
Sixty years of Aerojet Rocketdyne
Aerojet Rocketdyne总部位于加利福尼亚州，通过为国防机构和私营企业开发推进和能量系统来为自己建立了一个名称。该公司的原始火箭发动机RL10于1963年首次推出。在过去的60年中，已将500多个RL10推出到太空中，目前发动机为Ula的Delta IV和Atlas V Rockets的上层提供了动力。
In order to streamline manufacturing, slash costs, and improve performance, Aerojet has started turning to 3D printing to produce some of the components in its rocket engines and strategic missile systems.
In 2017, Aerojet Rocketdyne announced the successfulhot-fire testing of a 3D printed thrust chamber用于RL10火箭发动机。使用选择性激光熔化（SLM）在铜中打印3D。
The RL10C-X, which is an upgraded version of the RL10, successfully2021年5月通过了NASA热火测试程序。该发动机采用一组关键的3D打印零件，设法在空间内模拟中展示了点火和长期耐久性。
More recently, Aerojet Rocketdyne also used 3D printing tooptimize a key component of its Reaction Control System (RCS) quad thruster在...的帮助下nTopology’s工程软件。该组件现在减轻了67％，并帮助将推进器的总生产成本降低了66％。
RL10C-X引擎
设计,制造,组装,测试erojet’s West Palm Beach facility, the next-generation RL10C-X leverages a 3D printed injector and combustion chamber. The engine also comes equipped with a 94” monolithic carbon-carbon composite nozzle.
它的特定冲动（ISP）为461秒，它是Aerojet Rocketdyne阵容中表现最高的火箭发动机之一。ISP是每秒消耗的推进剂每单位推力的量度。
Aerojet Rocketdyne的首席执行官兼总裁Eileen P. Drake表示：“ RL10引擎是该国的首要高级发动机，也是该行业的真正主力军。”“借助RL10C-X，我们利用我们的行业领先的3D打印技术可显着降低引擎的成本，同时提高其性能，从而为客户提供增强的任务能力。”
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特色图片显示了艺术家对Vulcan Centaur火箭的渲染。图片通过ULA。
