Two Canadian companies who are developing launch vehicles among other products, released video this week of their respective rocket engine test firing.
NordSpace testing
On May 20th NordSpace released a video of a May 16 video engine test. The company said it had “successfully tested its Darkhorse engine test cell and its third generation Hadfield liquid rocket engine both for the first time.” NordSpace added that “the test ran for 7 seconds at NordSpace’s propulsion test range, a company-owned secure site in North-Eastern Ontario, successfully delivering nominal thrust, active cooling, and impulse results.”
The company said that long duration tests will follow in “the coming days” and they this would see “refinements to fuel mixture ratios and higher-pressure scenarios to test the limits of the engine test cell and engines.”
The company is developing its Taiga suborbital rocket and plans a test launch in the coming months from its spaceport in Newfoundland.
NordSpace recently organized the first Canadian Space Launch Conference where it announced a partnership with LeoLabs and offered a few new details on its proposed space systems and satellites product lines.
Reaction Dynamics testing
Reaction Dynamics (RDX) posted to LinkedIn today that it had completed a “full mission duration” test firing of its RE-102 engine and that “it performed beautifully.” No date was provided for when the test firing occured.
In the video, a clock shows the engine ran about 33 seconds before being shut down.
The RE-102 engine will be used in RDX’s first suborbital test flight of the Aurora-1 launcher which is scheduled for December from Australia.
RDX is also developing the RE-202 engine which will be used in its orbital launcher Aurora-8. That launch vehicle will feature 10 RE-202 engines, 8 on the first stage, 2 on the second stage and RDX is planning the first test launch of this vehicle in 2028.
The company recently won a million-dollar investment on “Meet the Drapers.”
RDX has developed a new solid rocket fuel that is says is shelf-stable, environmentally friendly, and not flammable outside of a combustion chamber. It is generating interest from the defence community.
