CECE: A Deep Throttling Demonstrator Cryogenic Engine for NASA's Lunar Lander

Abstract

As one of the first technology development programs awarded under NASA's Vision for Space Exploration, the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) Deep Throttling, Common Extensible Cryogenic Engine (CECE) program was selected by NASA in November 2004 to begin technology development and demonstration toward a deep throttling, cryogenic Lunar Lander engine for use across multiple human and robotic lunar exploration mission segments with extensibility to Mars. The CECE program leverages the maturity and previous investment of a flight-proven hydrogen/oxygen expander cycle engine, the RL10, to develop and demonstrate an unprecedented combination of reliability, safety, durability, throttlability, and restart capabilities in a high-energy, cryogenic engine. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and NASA Glenn Research Center personnel were integral design and analysis team members throughout the requirements assessment, propellant studies and the deep throttling demonstrator elements of the program. The testbed selected for the initial deep throttling demonstration phase of this program was a minimally modified RL10 engine, allowing for maximum current production engine commonality and extensibility with minimum program cost. In just nine months from technical program start, CECE Demonstrator No. 1 engine testing in April/May 2006 at PWR's E06 test stand successfully demonstrated in excess of 10:1 throttling of the hydrogen/oxygen expander cycle engine. This test provided an early demonstration of a viable, enabling cryogenic propulsion concept with invaluable system-level technology data acquisition toward design and development risk mitigation for both the subsequent CECE Demonstrator No. 2 program and to the future Lunar Lander Design, Development, Test and Evaluation effort.