The sky’s the limit for Midlothian space rocket company at new test complex

Midlothian space rocket company Skyrora has a new engine test complex in Fife - a move that aims to create 170 new jobs at the company.

Midlothian space rocket company Skyrora has opened this new engine test complex in Fife - a move that aims to create 170 new jobs at the company.

The site will allow Skyrora to carry out vital engine tests that will provide the technical and performance data that will eventually allow the company to launch its first rocket into space - supporting Scotland’s drive to be a space hub.

Skyrora has its HQ in Edinburgh and a production facility at Loanhead. Its engine test complex layout is fairly minimal, mainly consisting of a fuel and oxidiser loading system to put fuel into both tanks and a pressure supply system to feed the fuel to the engine in the test stand.

Skyrora also built the actual test stand, the road to access the test site and the concrete slab for the test site to sit on.

It took the team only a few weeks to build it, at a fraction of the estimated time and cost while making sure all measures followed health and safety guidelines.

Skyrora’s vision is to test all three engines used on its rocket suite in the one location.

Volodymyr Levykin, chief executive officer of Skyrora, said: “The opening of our engine test complex represents a giant leap forward for the UK’s ambitions as a space nation and Scotland’s status as a space hub. The location and additional jobs will benefit the UK space industry and help the overall economy grow.

“It will also allow Skyrora’s highly skilled workforce and a young generation of engineers and technicians to be a part of this space revolution.

“Skyrora has developed and come so far as a team and a company, and I am really proud to see how many milestones we have achieved in a short period of time.”

In January 2020, Skyrora announced it had completed up to 25 tests on their 3.5kN upper stage orbital engine testing their Ecosene fuel, an equivalent kerosene derived from unrecyclable plastics. And right before the UK lockdown measures were implemented, the complex saw the three-tonne engine through several tests.

Skyrora’s main objective is to validate the performance of the engine. Variables such as pressure, thrust, flow of fuel and flow of oxidizer were stress-tested and assessed as part of the process. The three-tonne engine, integrated onto Skylark-L, also underwent a successful full vertical static fire test in May 2020.

Dr Jack-James Marlow, engineering manager at Skyrora, who oversaw the testing, said: “Our engine test complex is a fantastic opportunity for Skyrora and the UK Space industry. Scotland is heading towards an unprecedented growth in UK space and our complex is one step closer to achieving this.

“We are planning to test all our engines, which are fully 3D printed and operate on high-test peroxide (HTP, a highly concentrated solution of hydrogen peroxide), at the site.

“Our recent successful testing of the three-tonne engine is nearly ten times greater in thrust than our last series of engine tests on our LEO engine.

“We pushed the engine to its limits to find its operational envelope and critical parameters.

“The engine performed as expected and has enabled us to begin small volume production of the engine.”