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Reaction Dynamics will conduct a test launch of their RE-102 hybrid rocket engine and Aurora launch vehicle from the Koonibba Test Range in Australia. This is the second launch announcement the company made today.
Earlier in the day Reaction Dynamics and Maritime Launches Services announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to expand their relationship which could culminate in the first orbital launch by a Canadian launch vehicle developer from Canadian soil.
While no date was set for an orbital launch from Spaceport Nova Scotia, the spaceport being developed by Maritime Launch Services, Southern Launch who operate the Koonibba Test Range, and who issued the other press release today, said that the suborbital test from Australia would be sometime in 2025.
According to the news release, “The Aurora suborbital mission will serve as the maiden flight qualification test for Reaction Dynamics’ rocket engine within the vacuum of space. This two-stage vehicle is designed to reach an altitude of 125 km above Earth, providing critical performance data and demonstrating Reaction Dynamics’ technological capabilities in preparation for future orbital missions. This flight will mark a historic milestone as the one of the first demonstrations of a hybrid rocket engine operating in space.”
The mission “will focus on the validation of Reaction Dynamics’ RE-102 hybrid rocket engine, which leverages a groundbreaking advancement as part of the first-ever hybrid propulsion system family to incorporate a regeneratively-cooled thrust chamber assemblies.” Reaction Dynamics has received several patents related to its hybrid rocket engine.
The suborbital version of Reaction Dynamic’s launch vehicle is a relatively small at 7.3 metres in height and no other specifications were provided. It will launch from the Mid-Range Launch Rail that Southern Launch has at the Koonibba Test Range. (You can read about the orbital version of Aurora in our story Canadian launch provider Reaction Dynamics emerges from the shadows.)
Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp said, “Southern Launch exists to help companies like Reaction Dynamics test their breakthrough technology,. We are proud to be hosting the Aurora suborbital mission from the Koonibba Test Range. This mission will test a novel hybrid propulsion system which will ultimately result in technological breakthroughs that will propel the entire space industry forward.”
Reaction Dynamics CEO Bachar Elzein added, “We believe that the RE-102 hybrid rocket engine will be the most efficient hybrid rocket engine in the world. Extensive hot fire tests have shown the that the engine is able to maintain performance during prolonged burn periods thanks to our patented innovations. We are eager to put this technology to the test in the vacuum of space during our upcoming suborbital mission from the Koonibba Test Range.”
