SpaceXAerospacesince 2014
SpaceX Dragon SuperDraco Engine Valve
Main oxidizer valve body for SuperDraco abort engines
Aerospace85% confidence
AEROSPACE · PART PHOTO
Challenge
Dragon's escape system required a complex, flight-critical valve that could be produced quickly and iterated rapidly. Traditional casting took months.
Solution
SLM-printed Inconel 718 valve body — one of the first flight-critical metal AM parts qualified for human spaceflight. Enabled rapid design iteration.
Outcomes
- 01First 3D-printed metal part on human spacecraft; landmark for AM qualification
Technologies
Laser Powder Bed Fusion
Source
Dragon 2 continues to fly crew missions with AM components
Cite this page
APA
AM Roadmap. (2014). SpaceX Dragon SuperDraco Engine Valve. AM Roadmap (v0.4.2-fixes-deployed). Retrieved 2026-05-17, from https://amroadmap.com/success-stories/spacex-leap-fuel-draco-2014
BibTeX
@misc{amroadmap_spacex_dragon_superdraco_engine_valve_2014,
title = {SpaceX Dragon SuperDraco Engine Valve},
author = {{AM Roadmap}},
year = {2014},
url = {https://amroadmap.com/success-stories/spacex-leap-fuel-draco-2014},
note = {AM Roadmap dataset v0.4.2-fixes-deployed, accessed 2026-05-17}
}Canonical URL: https://amroadmap.com/success-stories/spacex-leap-fuel-draco-2014