Reaction Engines, a UK-based aerospace company founded in 1989, focused on developing advanced propulsion systems and thermal management technology, most notably the Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE). SABRE aimed to enable reusable spaceplanes like Skylon by combining jet engine fuel efficiency with rocket power, allowing for air-breathing flight up to Mach 5 before switching to rocket mode for orbital speeds. Though the company entered administration in 2024, it had established partnerships with organizations like the UK Space Agency, ESA, Rolls-Royce, Boeing, and the US Air Force to advance hypersonic technology and explore applications for its innovative precooler technology. Key associated keywords include hypersonic propulsion, air-breathing rocket engine, SABRE, Skylon, and thermal management.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
Reaction Engines entered administration in October 2024.
Reaction Engines received £6 million in funding in 2009.
Reaction Engines received £60 million from the UK government in 2013.
Alan Bond, John Scott Scott, and Richard Varvill founded Reaction Engines Ltd. in 1989.
BAE Systems took a 20% stake in Reaction Engines for £20.6 million in 2015.
Reaction Engines raised £40 million in early 2023 in a round led by the UAE’s Tawazun Council.
Reaction Engines secured an $11,000,000 grant from the European Space Agency in 2016.
Reaction Engines Ltd. entered administration under United Kingdom law on 2024-10-31.
Reaction Engines established an American subsidiary, Reaction Engines Inc., which set up a facility at the Colorado Air and Space Port for testing elements of SABRE technology such as its precooler.
Reaction Engines proposed using SABRE on Skylon, a single-stage spaceplane designed to carry 17,000 kg to low Earth orbit.
Reaction Engines tested a SABRE precooler at airflow temperature conditions as high as Mach 5.
Reaction Engines is building a facility at Front Range Airport to test SABRE hypersonic engine technology.