Air-breathing rocket engine passes milestone tests
In what has been described as the biggest breakthrough in aerospace propulsion technology since the invention of the jet engine, Oxfordshire-based firm Reaction Engines has announced the successful testing of its air-breathing SABRE rocket engine.
Utilising both jet turbine and rocket technology, the engine's pre-cooler technology is designed to cool the incoming airstream from more than 1,000°C to -150°C in less than 1/100th of a second without blocking with frost.
The recent tests, carried out by the European Space Agency, have proven the cooling technology to be frost-free at the crucial low temperature of -150°C.
Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts said: "This is a remarkable achievement for a remarkable company. Reaction Engines has shown the world that Britain remains at the forefront of technological innovation and can get ahead in the global race. This technology could revolutionise the future of air and space travel."
Reaction Engines' founder Alan Bond, who has led the research from the start, added: "These successful tests represent a fundamental breakthrough in propulsion technology. Our lightweight heat exchangers are going to force a radical re-think of the design of the underlying thermodynamic cycles of aerospace engines."
Phillipa Oldham, head of transport and manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said the breakthrough would have a great impact on the UK aerospace engine industry, with the potential to improve fuel efficiency by up to 10%.
She noted: "This technology also brings us a step closer to flights from London to Sydney that last just a little longer than an on-flight film or even two-week holidays in space. The fact that this technology is being developed in the UK is also hugely encouraging and demonstrates the talent and expertise there is in this country for manufacturing high value and high-tech goods."
