‘World’s most advanced’ hypersonic engine for suborbital flights tested

Startup New Frontier Aerospace has started tests of the engine that will power high-speed, point-to-point travel aircraft.

Alex Tai, chairman of the space transportation startup, gave the update during a panel discussion held at the Farnborough International Airshow, UK on July 23.

According to SpaceNews, the company successfully conducted the first test firing of its Mjölnir engine on July 18.

“We believe we fired the most advanced rocket motor in the world,” Tai told SpaceNews after the panel discussion.

Although the initial test lasted only a second, it successfully activated the turbopumps and ignited the engine. The company plans extended test firings in the future.

Engine to offer high thrust

As per the company’s website , Mjölnir is a “3D-printed, full-flow staged combustion engine (FFSC).” The engine runs on a combination of liquid oxygen and methane.

“A new class of liquid oxygen and natural gas (LOX/LNG) rocket enables a high-performance Orbit Transfer Stage suitable for launch on Venture Class launch vehicles,” mentioned the description on NASA TechPort .

It further added: “The use of LNG dramatically reduces cost and carbon emissions, with NEGATIVE greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when sourced from the burgeoning renewable natural gas industry.”

This lightweight engine offers high thrust. The current test version of Mjölnir generates less than 3,000 pounds of thrust. Future versions designed for vehicles will produce between 40,000 and 60,000 pounds of thrust.

The Mjölnir engine, with its high performance, is envisioned for multiple space applications. It is also proposed for NASA’s Orbital Transfer Stage (OTS). This OTS could eventually be adapted for lunar landings and potentially even be made reusable.

Apart from this, it could be well-suited for other applications, including hypersonic aircraft, rocket upper stages, and spacecraft swift orbit transfer.

Reportedly, Mjölnir shares the same FFSC engine architecture as SpaceX’s Raptor and Stoke Space’s under-development engine.

Use in suborbital vehicle

New Frontier Aerospace envisions using the Mjölnir engine to propel a 100-person suborbital vehicle called the Intercontinental Rocketliner.

Reportedly, the vehicle will combine vertical takeoff and landing with a boost-cruise-glide flight profile to achieve hypersonic speeds.

With this aircraft , the company hopes to capture the market for high-speed global transportation, enabling passengers to travel anywhere in the world in a matter of hours.

Apart from this, the vehicle could serve a crucial role in military logistics, providing swift transport for cargo and troops. This market is projected to be considerably larger than the space launch market.

SpaceX has also shown interest in this market, promoting Starship’s ability to transport people across continents in less than an hour. They’re also involved in the Air Force Research Lab’s “rocket cargo” initiative.

However, Tai argued in a panel session that Starship isn’t ideal for point-to-point travel, citing its size, lack of wings, and better suitability for Mars missions.

Reportedly, Tai highlighted funding as a major obstacle for companies pursuing high-speed point-to-point travel, including New Frontier Aerospace.

While the company has received financial support from the Pentagon and NASA for engine development, Tai admitted that commercial hypersonic travel, starting with cargo, is still several years away.