Reaction Engines single-stage-to-orbit

[Robert]

Potentially exciting stuff:

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Reaction Engines, the UK company behind the reusable SABRE jet-cum-rocket engine that could dramatically alter air and space travel, has secured the final piece of funding that will allow for the creation of a SABRE demonstrator engine by 2020.


Enlarge / A cutaway of the SABRE, showing the various elements of what is fundamentally a hybrid jet-rocket engine.
At the Farnborough Air Show on Tuesday, Reaction Engines signed a £10 million development contract with the European Space Agency. In turn, this commitment from the ESA unlocked a £50 million grant from the UK Space Agency (which is an executive agency of the government).

Back in November 2015, BAE Systems—the massive defence and aerospace multinational based in the UK—invested £20.6 million in Reaction Engines; in return, it picked up 20 percent of the company's share capital, while also agreeing to provide industrial and technological support during the development phase.

According to Reaction Engines, there's now enough money and technological expertise in place to create a ground-based SABRE demonstrator engine by 2020.

 

[Wayne]

It's kinda sad considering the importance of space exploration that projects like this aren't better funded overall.

I just keep imagining a situation where the proverbial "Zephram Cochrane" (Star Trek, inventor of Warp engines) of our generation never gets off the ground due to lack of interest.

 

[Robert]

It's kinda sad considering the importance of space exploration that projects like this aren't better funded overall.

Unfortunately the "why waste money in space when we could use it to solve our problems on Earth" brigade have to be catered to.
Apart from that, the UK has never really been committed to funding space exploration.

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

Unfortunately the "why waste money in space when we could use it to solve our problems on Earth" ...

It's more of a "Why waste money on space when we can use it to cause problems for the guys we hate?" brigade.

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

At the Farnborough Air Show on Tuesday, Reaction Engines signed a £10 million development contract with the European Space Agency. In turn, this commitment from the ESA unlocked a £50 million grant from the UK Space Agency (which is an executive agency of the government).

60 million pounds? That's probably not even enough money to buy and hollow out Tracy Island.

 

[Robert]

It's more of a "Why waste money on space when we can use it to cause problems for the guys we hate?" brigade.

True dat.