Reaction Engines begins construction of UK rocket engine test facility

The test facility at Westcott, Buckinghamshire, will enable Reaction Engines to test critical subsystems along with the testing of a SABRE engine core, which will commence in 2020.

The project represents a substantial investment for Reaction Engines, which will consist of a multipurpose propulsion test stand designed to accommodate various test engine configurations, an assembly building, workshops, offices and control room.

The location of workshops and other support facilities alongside the test stand will enable configuration changes to the engine to take place at the site, reducing the down time between testing phases and accelerating the development programme of the SABRE engine.

To mark the start of construction, Mark Thomas, CEO, Reaction Engines undertook a ground breaking ceremony with Franco Ongaro, Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality, European Space Agency (ESA); Dr. Chris Castelli, Director, Programmes, UK Space Agency and Richard Harrington, CEO, Buckinghamshire Thames Valley LEP.

Mark Thomas, CEO, Reaction Engines said: "This is another exciting step forward in development of Reaction Engines' SABRE engine and a visible demonstration of the UK's commitment to the programme. I look forward to seeing this unique facility take shape and commencing our core engine testing, which will be a defining moment for aerospace."

Franco Ongaro, Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality, ESA said:

"The opening of this new test facility at Westcott marks an historical moment for the European Aerospace industry and for the UK research and development in rocket propulsion. This facility will enable the ground test of the SABRE engine cycle, opening the way to the first flight tests, and to a new era.

"The European Space Agency is proud of this partnership with industry and the UK Space Agency, to which we bring our technical competence, which has supported the SABRE development to this stage, and we are confident, to its future flight success."

The construction of the SABRE engine test facility is a significant milestone. The company has already successfully undertaken testing of the engine's pre-cooler and thrust chamber technologies, and will undertake further ground-based high-temperature testing of the pre-cooler early in 2018.

The test facility is located in the Westcott Venture Park, a location with a strong history of rocket propulsion research, having been used to test various UK rocket projects since 1946, including the Blue Streak and Black Arrow programmes.

In 2016 the UK Space Agency selected Westcott as the UK's National Space Propulsion Test Facility and the site is now home to a number of space propulsion and satellite technology companies.