Aerospace / Archive milestone
Orion injector testing puts a printed component through its paces
NASA reported successful testing of a metal-printed injector for a future Orion main engine.
Source update: Published: 3Dprintsy · AI-assisted brief
What happened
NASA’s May 2024 account describes testing conducted from November 2023 through January 2024 at White Sands. The subject was an injector being developed for the Orion Main Engine.
The agency reported stable combustion and successful test results. The injector was made using a metal-powder additive process, illustrating the use of printing in a critical propulsion component.
At that stage, the design was to be incorporated into a complete engine for further testing. A successful component campaign did not mean the full engine had completed qualification.
Read the sources
Primary-source reporting; this is not a hands-on review. Sources checked Oct 24, 2026.