3D-printed aerospike rocket engine from LEAP 71 successfully tested

The company LEAP 71 has successfully tested an aerospike rocket engine with a thrust of 5,000 newtons. The engine, which uses liquid oxygen and kerosene as propellants, was developed using the computer-aided model “Noyron”, an AI platform that automates complex engineering processes. The design was created, the engine manufactured and tested within just a few weeks.

Aerospike engines are considered more efficient than conventional rocket engines as they can adapt better to different atmospheric pressure conditions. Instead of the classic bell-shaped nozzle, the aerospike uses a central spike surrounded by a ring-shaped combustion chamber. Cooling the spike, which is exposed to temperatures of up to 3,500 degrees Celsius, represents a considerable technical challenge. In this model, the spike is cooled by cryogenic oxygen, while kerosene flows through the outer chamber.

Josefine Lissner, CEO and Co-Founder of LEAP 71, stated: “We were able to extend Noyron’s physics to deal with the unique complexity of this engine type. The spike is cooled by intricate cooling channels flooded by cryogenic oxygen, whereas the outside of the chamber is cooled by the kerosene fuel. I am very encouraged by the results of this test, as virtually everything on the engine was novel and untested. It’s a great validation of our physics-driven approach to computational AI.”

The drive was ignited as part of a four-day test program on 18 December 2024 in Westcott, UK. It was manufactured from a copper alloy (CuCrZr) using a laser powder bed fusion process. After cleaning with Solukon systems and heat treatment at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, the engine was prepared for testing by the University of Sheffield.

Lin Kayser, Co-Founder of LEAP 71, added: “Despite their clear advantages, Aerospikes are not used in space access today. We want to change that. Noyron allows us to radically cut the time we need to re-engineer and iterate after a test and enables us to converge rapidly on an optimal design.”

The data obtained will be incorporated into the further development of the “Noyron” platform and the optimization of future drives. Further tests are planned for 2025 to make aerospike engines a viable option for space travel.