Dubai company test fires 3D-printed space rocket engine

Startup hopes its AI model, called Noyron, will soon be market-ready for space companies to use

Dubai company LEAP 71 test-fired a 3D-printed space rocket engine using an artificial intelligence model it developed. Photo: LEAP 71

A Dubai company has test-fired a 3D-printed space rocket engine that uses an artificial intelligence model.

LEAP 71 fired the engine for 3.5 seconds, producing 500kg of thrust and roughly 20,000 horsepower.

It is the first liquid rocket engine to be developed in the UAE and uses computational modelling developed by the organisation.

The test, carried out at the Airborne Engineering site in Wescott, UK, on June 14, marks a significant step forward for the artificial intelligence-based engineering industry in the Emirates.

Lin Kayser, co-founder of LEAP 71, told The National that the data collected will help train and improve their computational models.

"The goal is to be able to autogenerate engines across a range of thrust/propellant ranges, so each engine can be customised," he said.

The artificial intelligence model, called Noyron, involves an algorithm that can generate rocket engines, including software codes that command the engine how much thrust and propellent it needs to have.

It then powers the engine without any human intervention.

In this test, it powered the rocket using cryogenic liquid oxygen and kerosene fuels.

"We chose them (the fuels) because they are 'hard' propellants to use – so many start-up companies try to get by with simpler fuels," explained Mr Kayser.

"Liquid oxygen is not easy to handle because it is cryogenic. It can, for example, freeze kerosene in the cooling channels and then the rocket explodes.

"We wanted a challenging combination that is quite common in larger rockets, like the SpaceX Falcon 9, but unusual for smaller chambers like ours. Smaller chambers are very hard to cool because you have little surface area."

Mr Kayser said Noyron is close to market-ready, but they will carry out more tests on engines that different companies are developing.

"From our side, the computational model is market-ready and can be used to produce functional rocket engines. This is what the test showed," he said.

LEAP 71 has a partnership with Europe's The Exploration Company, which is developing and manufacturing a reusable space capsule called Nyx.

It marks a big win for the start-up as it looks to sell its AI model to more players in the space industry.

"Our customers, like the Exploration Company, will bring engines based on our AI model to the market," said Mr Kayser.

"The engines will not be manufactured and sold by LEAP 71, as we are focused on the computational model side. But without real-life feedback, we cannot perfect our AI."

The company hopes its AI model could help revolutionise the way spacecraft systems are developed, including helping to reduce costs and speed up the construction of those technologies.