Aerospace & Defense Technology - August 2022 - 42

Application Briefs
Full-Scale Micro-Launcher Rocket
Orbex
Forres, UK
+44 01309 255009
www.orbex.space
O
rbex has unveiled the first full-scale prototype of the
Prime orbital space rocket on its dedicated launch pad
publicly for the first time.
The unveiling of the first of a new generation of European
launch vehicles - designed to launch a new category of
very small satellites to orbit - represents a major step forward
for the British rocket company as it prepares for the
first ever vertical rocket launch to orbit from UK soil.
Orbex's Prime rocket is the first 'micro-launcher' developed
in Europe to reach this stage of technical readiness.
With the first full integration of the Orbex rocket on a
launch pad now complete, the company is able to enter a
period of integrated testing, allowing dress rehearsals of
rocket launches and the development and optimization
of launch procedures. Orbex recently revealed their first
test launch platform at a new test facility in Kinloss, a few
miles from the company's headquarters at Forres in
Moray, Scotland.
Prime is a 19-meter long, two-stage rocket powered by
seven engines that is being designed and manufactured in
the UK and Denmark. The six rocket engines on the first
stage of the rocket will propel the vehicle through the atmosphere
to an altitude of around 80 km. The single engine on
the second stage of the rocket will complete the journey to
Low Earth Orbit (LEO), allowing the release of its payload of
small, commercial satellites into Earth's orbit.
Uniquely, Orbex Prime is powered by a renewable
bio-fuel, bio-propane, supplied by Calor UK. This fuel
allows the rocket to reduce carbon emissions significantly
compared to other similarly sized rockets being developed
elsewhere around the world. A study by the University of
Exeter showed that a single launch of the Orbex Prime rocket
will produce 96 percent lower carbon emissions than comparable
space launch systems using fossil fuels. Prime is also
a reusable rocket that has been engineered to leave zero
debris on Earth and in orbit.
Orbex Prime will launch from Space Hub Sutherland, a
new spaceport being constructed on the North Coast of
Scotland. Space Hub Sutherland was the first vertical spaceport
to receive planning permission in the UK and will be
the first European spaceport brought into operation later in
2022. It is also the first and only spaceport worldwide that
has committed to being carbon-neutral, both in its construction
and operation.
" We are on the cusp of an historic moment, with Orbex
playing a leading role in generating a brand new launch
capability in the UK, while creating opportunities for people
and businesses across the country, " said Ian Annett, Deputy
CEO of the UK Space Agency. " I can't wait to see Prime lift
off from Space Hub Sutherland. "
42
The market for small satellites is increasing rapidly, as a
wide range of new small satellite constellations are developed
and deployed. Micro-launchers such as Orbex Prime
give satellite manufacturers a dedicated launch service, in
contrast to larger, 'rideshare' launchers, where small satellites
are often a secondary payload, and frequently face significant
delays.
Orbex is a UK-based spaceflight company with headquarters,
production and testing facilities in Scotland, and design
and testing facilities in Denmark. Orbex staff members have
professional backgrounds with NASA, ESA, Ariane and several
commercial spaceflight organizations. The company is
now funded by two of the UK's largest and most active venture
capital funds, BGF and Octopus Ventures, who join two
of Europe's largest venture capital funds, Heartcore Capital
and the High-Tech Gründerfonds, as well as strategic investor
Elecnor, parent company of Deimos Space, the UK Space
Agency (UKSA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the
European Commission Horizon 2020 program.
For More Info Visit http://www.orbex.space
mobilityengineeringtech.com
Aerospace & Defense Technology, August 2022
http://www.orbex.space http://www.orbex.space http://www.mobilityengineeringtech.com
Aerospace & Defense Technology - August 2022

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