SuperDraco

SuperDraco
	A pair of SuperDraco rocket engines at SpaceX Hawthorne facility
Country of origin	United States
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Application	Launch escape system, propulsive landing
Status	Operational
Liquid-fuel engine
Propellant	NTO / MMH
Performance
Thrust, sea-level	71 kN (16,000 lbf), individually; 32,000 lbf, dual-engine cluster
Chamber pressure	6.9 MPa (1,000 psi)
Specific impulse, sea-level	235 s (2.30 km/s)
Burn time	25 seconds
Propellant capacity	1,388 kg (3,060 lb)
Used in
	SpaceX Dragon 2 - Crew, DragonFly

SuperDraco is a hypergolic propellant rocket engine designed and built by SpaceX. It is part of the SpaceX Draco family of rocket engines. A redundant array of eight SuperDraco engines provides fault-tolerant propulsion for use as a launch escape system for the SpaceX Dragon 2, a passenger-carrying space capsule.

SuperDraco rocket engines utilize a storable (non-cryogenic) hypergolic propellant which allows the engines to be fired many months after fueling and launch. They combine the functions of both a reaction control system and a main propulsive engine. Hypergolic fuels do not require an external source of ignition, providing increased reliability for the spacecraft.^[7]

The engines are used on crew transport flights to low Earth orbit, and were also projected to be used for entry, descent and landing control of the now-canceled Red Dragon to Mars.

SuperDracos are used on the SpaceX Dragon 2 crew-transporting space capsule and were used on the DragonFly, a prototype low-altitude reusable rocket that was used for flight testing various aspects of the propulsive-landing technology. While the engine is capable of 73,000 newtons (16,400 lbf) of thrust, during use for DragonFly testing, the engines were throttled to 68,170 newtons (15,325 lbf) to maintain vehicle stability.^[6]

^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference nsf20140530 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b "SpaceX Demonstrates Astronaut Escape System for Crew Dragon Spacecraft". NASA. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-18. Retrieved 2019-09-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "SpaceX Completes Qualification Testing of SuperDraco Thruster". 2014-05-28.
^ "SuperDraco | Test Fire". YouTube. 2015-11-10.
^ ^a ^b ^c James, Michael; Salton, Alexandria; Downing, Micah (November 12, 2013), Draft Environmental Assessment for Issuing an Experimental Permit to SpaceX for Operation of the Dragon Fly Vehicle at the McGregor Test Site, Texas, May 2014 – Appendices (PDF), Blue Ridge Research and Consulting, LCC, p. 12
^ Clark, John (1972). Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants. Rutgers University Press. pp. 214–220. ISBN 978-0-8135-0725-5.

[nsf20140530-1] Cite error: The named reference nsf20140530 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[NASAabort-2] "SpaceX Demonstrates Astronaut Escape System for Crew Dragon Spacecraft". NASA. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.

[faa.gov-3] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-18. Retrieved 2019-09-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[4] "SpaceX Completes Qualification Testing of SuperDraco Thruster". 2014-05-28.

[5] "SuperDraco | Test Fire". YouTube. 2015-11-10.

[DragonFlyEAI201403-6] James, Michael; Salton, Alexandria; Downing, Micah (November 12, 2013), Draft Environmental Assessment for Issuing an Experimental Permit to SpaceX for Operation of the Dragon Fly Vehicle at the McGregor Test Site, Texas, May 2014 – Appendices (PDF), Blue Ridge Research and Consulting, LCC, p. 12

[7] Clark, John (1972). Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants. Rutgers University Press. pp. 214–220. ISBN 978-0-8135-0725-5.

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