STAR-3D Vortex-Hybrid Rocket Engine
Vaya Space
Throttleable, restartable vortex-hybrid rocket engine using LOX and a 3D-printed recycled-plastic solid fuel grain.
Technical specifications
- Engine type
- Vortex-hybrid rocket engine
- Oxidizer
- Liquid oxygen (LOX)
- Fuel
- Solid fuel grain, 3D-printed from recycled thermoplastics (spiral/vortex grain design)
- Maximum thrust (demonstrated)
- 110 kN
- Specific impulse
- up to 350 s
- Throttling
- Deep throttle control
- Restart capability
- Multiple restarts demonstrated
- Applications
- Dauntless launch vehicle (both stages); tactical missile propulsion; hypersonic hybrid-fueled ramjet (in development)
About
STAR-3D (Safe, Throttleable, Affordable, Reliable, 3D-Printed) is Vaya Space’s proprietary vortex-hybrid rocket engine, which powers both stages of the company’s Dauntless launch vehicle and is also being adapted for tactical missile and hypersonic ramjet propulsion applications. The engine pairs a liquid oxygen (LOX) oxidizer with a solid fuel grain that is 3D-printed from recycled thermoplastics using a distinctive spiral/vortex grain geometry that increases the fuel regression rate and combustion efficiency versus traditional hybrid designs. Because the fuel is an inert solid, STAR-3D avoids many of the safety, handling, and toxicity concerns associated with solid or hypergolic liquid rocket motors, while still offering deep throttle control and multiple restarts, capabilities normally associated only with liquid engines. During its test campaign at Vaya’s Engine Test Facility in Cocoa, Florida, STAR-3D has demonstrated a reliable maximum thrust of 110 kN with a specific impulse of up to 350 seconds. In 2024 Vaya Space also successfully demonstrated a tactical-missile-class version of the vortex-hybrid engine, and in 2025 the company was awarded a $1.2M AFWERX Phase II contract to further develop hybrid-fueled ramjet propulsion derived from the same technology for hypersonic defense applications.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
