Space startup Astrobotic put its rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) to the test for the first time, demonstrating a potentially groundbreaking technology that generates thrust by supersonic combustion. Astrobotic completed a series of hot-fire tests on two engine prototypes at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Each engine produced more than 4,000 pounds of thrust (1,800 kilograms) for a combined 470 seconds of total runtime, including a single 300-second burn. The recent demonstration brings the private space industry one step closer to a more efficient rocket propulsion system that could allow crewed landers to travel to deep space destinations such as the Moon and Mars. Fire in the hole An RDRE produces thrust through a series of detonations that travel around a circular channel, combining highly pressurized propellant with an oxidizer inside a combustion chamber. While traditional rocket engines ignite vehicles through exhaust, RDREs are propelled by shockwaves.…