Jon Excell

BAE invests £20.6m in UK space engine developer

News

Defence giant BAE Systems has announced that it is to invest £20.6m in Reaction Engines Limited, an Oxfordshire firm that hopes to revolutionise access to space through the development of a new class of aerospace engine.

Under the terms of the deal, BAE will acquire a 20 per cent share in the company and will collaborate on the development of Reaction’s SABRE engine, a new aerospace engine that combines both jet and rocket technologies.

The partnership is expected to draw on BAE’s aerospace technology development and project management expertise and will provide Reaction Engines with access to critical industrial, technical and capital resources to progress towards the demonstration of a ground based engine – a key milestone in the development of the technology.

BAE will also enter into a preferred supplier relationship with Reaction Engines in certain agreed areas and will have representation on the board of Reaction Engines.

SABRE (Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine) is an advanced combined cycle air-breathing rocket engine designed to enable aircraft to operate from standstill on the runway to speeds of over five times the speed of sound in the atmosphere.

At this point it is designed to transition to a rocket mode of operation, allowing spaceflight at speeds up to orbital velocity, equivalent to twenty five times the speed of sound.

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