First Attempt To Launch The Scorpius SR-S Torrance, California November 20, 1995

Microcosm announced today a successful 200 second test firing of its 5,000 lb thrust Scorpius ultra-low-cost engine. According to Microcosm President, Dr. James Wertz, "The 200 second burn represents a major milestone in low cost launch vehicles. It shows that engines costing less than $1/lb of thrust can have sufficient life to support both sounding rocket and launch vehicle applications." The engine design successfully tested will be used in sub-orbital sounding rockets and the Liberty Light-Lift Launch Vehicle designed to put 2,200 lbs into low Earth orbit for $1.7 million. The 200 second burn was achieved on the sixth engine produced. It was the first engine designed to have the full required life. The test took place at the Energetic Materials Research Test Center, EMRTC, in Socorro, NM, which began testing Scorpius liquid engines with a "ribbon-burning" ceremony in August. The test firing was directed by Ken Mason.

The engine development is a key component of the Microcosm Scorpius Low Cost Launch Vehicle program which is intended to reduce near-term launch costs by more than a factor of 10. Work to date has been funded through a series of contracts with the U.S. Air Force Phillips Laboratory. The Scorpius concept was developed by Ed Keith. Scorpius Program Manager, Bob Conger said "We are very appreciative of the excellent testing work done by EMRTC, and of Utah Rocketry which fabricates the Scorpius engines." According to Wertz, "The technology development is proceeding extremely well. However, funding is far less certain because of the very severe budget constraints. Nonetheless, the entire Scorpius vehicle family through medium lift can be developed for less than $100 million, which is substantially less than the cost of two medium-lift launches. Its successful development would provide estimated savings of approximately $100 million per month in U.S. launch costs."

The Scorpius kerosene/liquid oxygen engine is made of composite material. It is pressure fed, ablatively cooled, and far simpler in design than traditional liquid rocket engines. The engine tested has only 18 parts, compared to approximately 15,000 parts in a typical liquid-fueled rocket engine according to an OTA assessment. It takes less than a man-week to fabricate the engine from raw materials. This represents a reduction in cost of more than a factor of 100 over traditional engines of comparable size and performance.

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