Blue Origin BE-7 engine headed for vacuum cell testing

Blue Origin BE-7 engine is headed into vacuum cell testing at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Edwards Air Force Base, California. The vacuum test runs in a simulated environment to test propulsion systems and verification before integration into a real spacecraft.

Once installed inside a test stand chamber, the chamber is evacuated to simulate altitude conditions. The vacuum environment is maintained during rocket engine firing sustaining a pressure environment to simulate a space-like experience.

This scenario could lead to numerous other tests on propulsion engines and systems, propellants and aerospace fluids, materials, and components. The BE-7 is a high-performance liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen lunar landing engine. It is designed to generate 10,000 lbf of thrust and throttle down to 2,000 lbf of thrust for a moon landing. It could be used on Descent and Transfer Element.

Blue Origin BE-7 Engine (Image Source – Blue Origin)

The engine will be used on the Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1) single-launch lunar cargo lander. It will provide cargo transport with New Glenn’s 7-meter fairing and deliver up to three tons of payload.

Blue Origin is set to demonstrate MK1’s capabilities with the Pathfinder mission somewhere in 2025. This demo mission will be critical to test the BE-7 engine, cryogenic fluid power and propulsion system, avionics, continuous downlink communications, and landing within 100 meters of the targeted site.

The demonstration will verify the engine and components before the spacecraft is serviced for NASA’s human landing mission for the Artemis program. The rocket maker is also testing the New Glenn rocket, which will launch MK1 and a new spacecraft into space.

(source)