Rocket Lab celebrates completion of its 100th 3D-printed engine

Ten of the 35-kg, 3D-printed Rutherford engines power the Electron spacecraft.

Since Rocket Lab introduced the Rutherford engine in 2013, it has 3D-printed 100 of the flight-ready engines at its Huntington Beach, Calif., facility; conducted more than 850 successful engine tests; and launched 70 of the engines into space on Electron missions.

The most recent of these was the “Make It Rain” mission launched June 29.

Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said Rutherford’s unique 3D-printed design was developed with the goal of producing a reliable and high-performing rocket engine that could be manufactured quickly, efficiently, and in high volumes.

“The Rutherford engine has played an integral part in enabling Rocket Lab to make frequent and reliable launches a reality for small satellites,” said Beck. “It’s a testament to our innovative design and manufacturing teams that we’ve achieved everything we set out to do in just a few short years.”

As for the future, Rocket Lab has recently expanded its propulsion-manufacturing and test teams, and also increased its 3D printing facilities in Huntington Beach to facilitate production of 200 Rutherford engines in the next 12 months. The engines will be installed in Electron vehicles scheduled for lift-off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, as well as Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Wallops Island, Va.

The Rutherford engine weighs just 35 kg and is the world’s first 3D-printed, electric-turbo-pump-fed engine to launch a rocket into space. Production scalability is facilitated by its additively manufactured primary components: combustion chamber, injectors, pumps,and main propellant valves. These components reportedly can be printed in 24 hours, significantly shortening production times.

The engines are used for both first and second stages. Nine engines power Electron’s first stage, and a single vacuum-optimized version powers the second stage. Instead of traditional gas turbine pumps, Rutherford uses brushless DC electric motors and high-performance lithium-polymer batteries to drive its propellant pumps.

The engines are manufactured in Huntington Beach and then are shipped to Rocket Lab’s New Zealand facility for testing and installation in launch vehicles. The Mahia Peninsula is the site of the New Zealand launches.

Rocket Lab, Electron flight 'Still Testing' 21 January 2018.