X-Bow Systems is partnering with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop and demonstrate AMSP—Additive Manufacturing of Solid Propellant—technologies for production of solid rocket motors.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—X-Bow Systems Inc. (X-Bow®), a U.S. non-traditional manufacturer of solid rocket motors (SRMs), sub-orbital launch solutions, and defense technologies, reported in May that it established end-to-end energetics operations for two manufacturing systems at its Texas facility.
X-Bow’s Rocket Factory in a Box (RFIB™) is a deployable, parallelizable, and containerized manufacturing center designed to provide agile solid rocket motor production capabilities. (Photo: X-Bow Systems Inc./Business Wire)
The development is said to mark a milestone in the manufacturer’s partnership with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Rapid Energetics & Advanced Rocket Manufacturing (RE-ARM) program.
At the heart of X-Bow’s innovation is its patented Additive Manufacturing of Solid Propellant (AMSP) process, now realized at industrial scale through Gen-0 and in mobile form through Rocket Factory in a Box (RFIB™). X-Bow is on contract with AFRL to develop and demonstrate AMSP technologies for solid rocket motor manufacturing.
The Rocket Factory in a Box (RFIB™) is described as “a deployable, parallelizable, and containerized manufacturing center for solid rocket motor propellants” that is reported to enable rapid, flexible, and affordable production. Gen-0, installed at X-Bow’s fixed site in Texas, is designed to bring these capabilities to industrial scale and transition from development to high-volume production, according to a release from X-Bow.
“RFIB and Gen-0 are new models to enable surge production in the United States when it matters most,” said Jason Hundley, founder and CEO of X-Bow, in the release. “Our vision for production is a few million pounds of solid propellant per year, with options to significantly increase that as we scale to meet national needs.”
As X-Bow’s flagship high-volume manufacturing system, Gen-0 supports contested logistics, hypersonics, missile defense, (including low-cost interceptors), drone propulsion, and sub-orbital launches.
X-Bow’s Gen-0 industrial-scale manufacturing system is designed to increase national production capacity and ensure a reliable supply of solid rocket motors for national defense. (Photo: X-Bow Systems Inc./Business Wire)
“The RE-ARM program is forging advanced technologies for rapid, affordable, flexible, and scalable manufacturing of solid rocket motors in support of national defense, with the goal of expanding and sustaining surge capacity for production of integrated missile capabilities,” said Javier Urzay, Ph.D., and chief of the Rocket and Space Propulsion Division of AFRL, in a statement.
Founded in 2016, X-Bow develops and manufactures solid rocket motors, advanced propellants, and integrated launch vehicles for the U.S. defense and space supply chain. The company is backed by prominent aerospace and venture capital investors, including Crosslink Capital, Razor’s Edge Ventures, Balerion Space Ventures, Boeing, Arkenstone Capital, The Capital Factory, Upsher Management Company, Event Horizon Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures.
X-Bow Systems is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a dedicated R&D facility in Socorro, New Mexico, and additional presence in Texas, Mississippi, California, Alabama, Colorado, Utah, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.