ETH Zurich Students Test Rocket Engine Firing 20,000 Detonation Waves a Second
Updated
Updated · Interesting Engineering · May 18
ETH Zurich Students Test Rocket Engine Firing 20,000 Detonation Waves a Second
2 articles · Updated · Interesting Engineering · May 18
Pegasus, a student team at ETH Zurich, has tested an experimental rotating detonation rocket engine that produces 20,000 detonation waves per second.
The RDRE uses propane and liquid oxygen, applying a propulsion concept under study for future space missions because it sustains rapid, continuous detonation around an annular chamber.
ARIS — the Academic Space Initiative Switzerland — built the engine through its Pegasus project, putting university students into a field also being explored by NASA and Japanese researchers.
The test highlights growing academic interest in rotating detonation propulsion, a technology viewed as a possible route to more efficient rocket engines for future missions.
With a US on-orbit test in 2027, can Swiss students win the race to perfect this revolutionary rocket engine technology?
This new engine creates 20,000 explosions per second. Can we invent materials strong enough to contain that immense power?