Skyrora has begun a series of full-duration tests of its engines, as it awaits the Civil Aviation Authority's licence to carry out orbital launches from SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Isles.
The engines have been 3D-printed by using Skyrora’s Skyprint 2 machine for the first time, a process the company claims is 66 per cent faster and 20 per cent cheaper than current manufacturing processes.
The new engine design features an improved engine cooling chamber to increase the efficiency of the cooling process and, in turn, extend the engine’s life cycle.
Skyrora's engine test site in Midlothian, Scotland / Skyrora
Image credit: Skyrora
If approved, the updated 70kN engine will become the first ever commercial engine to use a closed-cycle staged combustion system...