£60m boost for air-breathing rocket engine
The government is set to invest £60million in a British-designed rocket engine which could revolutionise the fields of propulsion and launcher technology.
Built by UK firm Reaction Engines, SABRE is designed to extract the oxygen it needs for low atmosphere flight from the air itself, paving the way for a new generation of space planes which would be lighter, reusable and able to take off and launch from conventional airport runways.
Alan Bond, who founded Reaction Engines and has led the research for over 20 years, said: "This significant investment in British high tech technology is a fantastic shot in the arm for the UK aerospace and space sectors, as well as the broader economy.
"Thanks to the government's support, we will now be able move to the next phase in the development of its engine and heat management technology, bringing much needed jobs and investment to the UK.
Over the next four years, the £60m will be spent on four major elements of the SABRE engine development, each of which is critical to realising the full production engine design at the end of the project.
The majority of the funding will be spent on technical design work and improving the lightweight heat exchanger technology and manufacturing capability.
A prototype SABRE is expected by 2017, and flight tests for the engine around 2020.
