Testing Rocket Parts With A Motorcycle

XCOR Aerospace Hits Route 66 With Experimental Motorcycle

“XCOR’s innovative piston pump technology took a ride from Roswell, NM to Mojave, CA in April 2012. “We debated how best to put many hours of wear time on the critical bearing components of our rocket propellant piston pump, that are subject to significant wear and tear,” said Dan DeLong, XCOR Chief Engineer. “This particular motorcycle, the Triumph Street Triple, develops about the same horsepower and has the same cylinder arrangement as the liquid oxygen and kerosene fuel pumps for the Lynx suborbital spacecraft. That makes it ideal for a long-life pump test platform. The bike is much less expensive to operate than the full up rocket pump test stand. We’re adding hours of run time each ride, not just minutes.”