Orbex

[Hick2]

Orbex have posted an article with some new information:
https://orbex.space/orbex-behind-the-scenes

Some new information here about their manufactory process and how progress is going about the Sutherland launch site.

Also I might be reading this wrong but there is some implication that their engine has a Thrust-to-Weight ratio of around 450 

[gmbnz]

Great article, I didn't realise they did so much manufacturing of the carbon fibre parts in house!

Also I might be reading this wrong but there is some implication that their engine has a Thrust-to-Weight ratio of around 450 

Really it depends on what the definition of engine mass includes. I'd believe the TWR of 450 for just the combustion chamber, maybe even including the instrumentation & sensors. But if you consider TVCs part of it, or control avionics, or turbopumps (which surely ought to be) then it would drop to something more sane.

For example the similar sized Rutherford engine weighs 35kg (according to wiki).... and that's a pretty minimal engine as well. I just can't see Orbex making an engine 10x lighter than that.

[john smith 19]

Really it depends on what the definition of engine mass includes. I'd believe the TWR of 450 for just the combustion chamber, maybe even including the instrumentation & sensors. But if you consider TVCs part of it, or control avionics, or turbopumps (which surely ought to be) then it would drop to something more sane.

Well....

The MIT Microrocket engine project was targeting chamber pressures of around 1200psi using semiconductor lithography techniques and (ideally) T/W ratios of >1000:1

However this included scaling down turbo pumps which raised the rpm's to around 250 000.

My instinct is a) The engine is pressure fed, which raises the tank mass substantially (unless it's a flometrix style reciprocating pump driven by a smallish high pressure third tank) b) It's a typo.

Occams razor says it's b) pending confirmation that the company is serious about that T/W ratio.

[gmbnz]

My instinct is a) The engine is pressure fed, which raises the tank mass substantially (unless it's a flometrix style reciprocating pump driven by a smallish high pressure third tank) b) It's a typo.

Occams razor says it's b) pending confirmation that the company is serious about that T/W ratio.

From this recruitment notice of theirs from last year (only the google cache available sorry) it looks like we can rule out option (a)!
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:k4NSoCLQvyMJ:https://orbex.space/assets/uploads/documents/Orbex-TPA2018-Job-Specification.pdf

[Steven Pietrobon]

Here's what the page said:

"Weighing just 7.5 kilos, this engine can lift 3.5 tonnes."

That's a thrust to weight ratio of 467. Not sure where the typo could be.

[john smith 19]

Here's what the page said:

"Weighing just 7.5 kilos, this engine can lift 3.5 tonnes."

That's a thrust to weight ratio of 467. Not sure where the typo could be.

IIRC the T/W ratio for the Gamma engines on Black Arrow were around 45:1

Given that Elon Musk has stated that Raptor is targeting 200:1  the claim they have developed an engine more than double that level is very bold indeed.

OTOH later in the piece they say that the first stage is a 6 engine cluster and the whole LV weighs 15tonnes during transport.

3.5 tonnes split 6 ways would be 78:1, if we assume the 3.5t is referring to the US and payload mass.

Can we agree that the claim is ambiguous and any T/W ratio is a deduced number dependent on what people are assuming those numbers refer to?

[john smith 19]

My instinct is a) The engine is pressure fed, which raises the tank mass substantially (unless it's a flometrix style reciprocating pump driven by a smallish high pressure third tank) b) It's a typo.

Occams razor says it's b) pending confirmation that the company is serious about that T/W ratio.

From this recruitment notice of theirs from last year (only the google cache available sorry) it looks like we can rule out option (a)!
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:k4NSoCLQvyMJ:https://orbex.space/assets/uploads/documents/Orbex-TPA2018-Job-Specification.pdf

Pressure feds have some attractions for upper stages.  OTOH 3.5tonnes is well over the line where turbo machinery is a good choice (rather than reciprocating pumps)

[gongora]

[Space News] TriSept buys Orbex Prime rocket for rideshare flight

Launch integrator TriSept Corp. announced plans Jan. 14 to purchase an Orbex Prime launch vehicle for a dedicated rideshare mission to fly from Scotland’s Sutherland Spaceport in 2022.

[TartanPump]

My instinct is a) The engine is pressure fed, which raises the tank mass substantially (unless it's a flometrix style reciprocating pump driven by a smallish high pressure third tank) b) It's a typo.

Occams razor says it's b) pending confirmation that the company is serious about that T/W ratio.

From this recruitment notice of theirs from last year (only the google cache available sorry) it looks like we can rule out option (a)!
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:k4NSoCLQvyMJ:https://orbex.space/assets/uploads/documents/Orbex-TPA2018-Job-Specification.pdf

Pressure feds have some attractions for upper stages.  OTOH 3.5tonnes is well over the line where turbo machinery is a good choice (rather than reciprocating pumps)

It is and you're right. Orbex has been recruiting Turbomachinery engineers for years, and I have it on good authority that they've recently "finished" their assembly- at least to the point where they're ready to begin testing.

[john smith 19]

My instinct is a) The engine is pressure fed, which raises the tank mass substantially (unless it's a flometrix style reciprocating pump driven by a smallish high pressure third tank) b) It's a typo.

Occams razor says it's b) pending confirmation that the company is serious about that T/W ratio.

From this recruitment notice of theirs from last year (only the google cache available sorry) it looks like we can rule out option (a)!
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:k4NSoCLQvyMJ:https://orbex.space/assets/uploads/documents/Orbex-TPA2018-Job-Specification.pdf

Pressure feds have some attractions for upper stages.  OTOH 3.5tonnes is well over the line where turbo machinery is a good choice (rather than reciprocating pumps)

It is and you're right. Orbex has been recruiting Turbomachinery engineers for years, and I have it on good authority that they've recently "finished" their assembly- at least to the point where they're ready to begin testing.

Firstly welcome to the site.

I think what's impressed various posters is the claim on the Orbex website of a 7.5Kg engine that can lift a 3.5tonne stage.  which is phenomenal .  Even with the the ability to run a very large nozzle on an upper stage due to near vacuum exhaust conditions, that's still very big, in fact it's a T/W ratio of 466:1

Can you shed any light on this apparent paradox?

[TartanPump]

My instinct is a) The engine is pressure fed, which raises the tank mass substantially (unless it's a flometrix style reciprocating pump driven by a smallish high pressure third tank) b) It's a typo.

Occams razor says it's b) pending confirmation that the company is serious about that T/W ratio.

From this recruitment notice of theirs from last year (only the google cache available sorry) it looks like we can rule out option (a)!
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:k4NSoCLQvyMJ:https://orbex.space/assets/uploads/documents/Orbex-TPA2018-Job-Specification.pdf

Pressure feds have some attractions for upper stages.  OTOH 3.5tonnes is well over the line where turbo machinery is a good choice (rather than reciprocating pumps)

It is and you're right. Orbex has been recruiting Turbomachinery engineers for years, and I have it on good authority that they've recently "finished" their assembly- at least to the point where they're ready to begin testing.

Firstly welcome to the site.

I think what's impressed various posters is the claim on the Orbex website of a 7.5Kg engine that can lift a 3.5tonne stage.  which is phenomenal .  Even with the the ability to run a very large nozzle on an upper stage due to near vacuum exhaust conditions, that's still very big, in fact it's a T/W ratio of 466:1

Can you shed any light on this apparent paradox?

Hey thanks! I spend so much time lurking here figured it was time to make an account.

Not sure about that claim. But the image they use next to the 7.5 kg figure is their 2nd stage engine...so maybe a 7.5 kg engine can propel 3.5 tonnes...in microgravity? That, or the first stage engine's actually 75 kg!

[john smith 19]

Hey thanks! I spend so much time lurking here figured it was time to make an account.

Not sure about that claim. But the image they use next to the 7.5 kg figure is their 2nd stage engine...so maybe a 7.5 kg engine can propel 3.5 tonnes...in microgravity? That, or the first stage engine's actually 75 kg!

That makes more sense but is considerably less impressive. A T/W ratio of about 46:1 is not very impressive for an expendable launch vehicle.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/orbexspace/status/1290545955553652737

While our home spaceport at Sutherland moves rapidly ahead, we're busy building the launch vehicle. This is a full-scale main stage mandrel for Europe's 1st linerless carbon fibre LOX tanks, a technology we spent 4 years developing in-house with support from @H2020SME @spacegovuk

[FutureSpaceTourist]

[Chris Bergin]

Presser:


Orbex Secures $24 Million Funding Round for UK Space Launch

 

·        New funding secures roadmap to first launch from Sutherland spaceport in Scotland

·        Orbex is 1st UK space-sector company to win prestigious Horizon 2020 funding

 

Forres, UK, 10th December 2020 – Orbex, the innovative European space launch company, has secured $24 million in a funding round led by BGF, the UK's most active investment company, and Octopus Ventures, one of the largest VCs in Europe.

 

BGF and Octopus Ventures have joined existing investors High-Tech Gründerfonds, Heartcore Capital and Elecnor S.A. - parent company of the multi-national space firm Deimos Space - in a new funding round for the orbital launch services company. The new investments secure the roadmap to the first launch from the Space Hub Sutherland spaceport in Scotland.

 

“Orbex is an impressive UK company which is developing a strongly differentiated and innovative launch solution for the rapidly-growing small satellite market. In Europe, they are a recognized leader with an experienced team, substantial institutional support, a growing customer list and patented technology. The private space sector remains a key future industry for both Scottish and UK governments and we’re very excited to be backing one of the most compelling examples of this evolving sector,” said Keith Barclay, Investor at BGF. 

 

Conceived and developed as an environmentally sustainable launch system, the Orbex Prime rocket uniquely uses bio-propane, a renewable biofuel that cuts CO2 emissions by 90% compared to traditional kerosene-based rocket fuels. Designed to be recoverable and re-usable, Orbex Prime is intended to leave no debris in the ocean or in orbit around the Earth. The company is constructing the rocket vehicle at factories in Forres, near Inverness in Scotland, and Copenhagen in Denmark.

 

“Orbex is creating a highly innovative launch solution that is rapidly gaining market traction with very serious customers. We’re delighted to be part of the future of the company and are very excited about what they’re looking to achieve, including the first ever vertical launches from UK soil,” said Simon King, Partner at Octopus Ventures.

 

Orbex has already confirmed six commercial satellite launch contracts, with the first launches expected in 2022. The company’s preferred launch site will be the Sutherland spaceport on the northernmost coast of Scotland, which was granted planning permission in mid-August 2020.

 

“This financing round is an important step forward for Orbex. It helps us maintain our rapid pace and allows us to move forward with certainty towards our first launch from the Sutherland spaceport. With BGF and Octopus Ventures we have found significant strategic partners who recognise our vision, and who have the capability to support our development through both the early flights and into subsequent growth and production,“ said Chris Larmour, Orbex CEO.

 

“We want the UK to be Europe’s leading destination for launching small satellites – driving economic growth in communities up and down the country,” said UK Science Minister Amanda Solloway. “Companies like Orbex are playing a vital role in the UK’s thriving commercial spaceflight market and today’s funding reflects the confidence that investors have in Orbex, helping to bring small satellite launch from Sutherland one step closer.”

 

The announcement by Orbex will bring significant new investment in high technology employment opportunities and large-scale production facilities in the Highlands region of Scotland, close to the launch site at the A’Mhoine peninsula in Sutherland. The A’Mhoine site was granted planning permission in August 2020 and is expected to begin construction in 2021.

 

“This is great for Forres, Moray and the Highlands and marks further strong progress for Orbex,” said Scottish Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation Ivan McKee. “Our aim is for Scotland to secure a £4 billion slice of the global space market by 2030 - an ambitious but realistic target. The Scottish space sector has a unique selling point - using space as a force for good - designing lighter, more efficient rockets, developing clean burning and renewable fuel and using satellite data to combat climate change and promote scientific discovery. This investment will help Orbex take a significant step towards their goal of placing small satellites into orbit from Space Hub Sutherland, and help build an innovative new industry for Scotland’s economy.”

 

The funding round is completed by a €2.5 million grant from the European Horizon 2020 SME Instrument programme – the first for a UK space-sector company – to support the development of patented coaxial tanking technology. Orbex previously won £5.5 million in grant funding from the UK Space Agency’s Launch UK programme in 2018.

 

-ENDS-

 

About Orbex
Orbex is a UK-based spaceflight company with headquarters, production and testing facilities in Scotland, and design and testing facilities in Denmark. Orbex staff members have professional backgrounds with NASA, ESA, Ariane and several commercial spaceflight organisations. The company is now funded by two of the UK’s largest and most active venture capital funds, BGF and Octopus Ventures, who join two of Europe's largest venture capital funds, Heartcore Capital and the High-Tech Gründerfonds, as well as strategic investor Elecnor, parent company of Deimos Space, the UK Space Agency (UKSA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission Horizon 2020 programme.

 

About BGF

BGF was set up in 2011 and has invested more than £2.5bn in over 335 companies, making it the most active investor in the UK. BGF is a minority, non-controlling equity partner with a patient outlook on investments, based on shared long-term goals with the management teams it backs. BGF invests in growing businesses in the UK and Ireland through its network of 14 offices. In 2018, Canada launched its equivalent – the Canadian Business Growth Fund – and in 2019, Australia did the same, both based on BGF’s funding model.

 

About Octopus Ventures

Octopus Ventures, part of the Octopus Group, is built to specialise in the four areas we believe will change the world for the better: health, money, deep tech and consumer. With £1.3 billion under management and investing over £100m a year, Octopus Ventures is one of the largest and most active venture investors in Europe. Typical investment is from £1 million for Seed to £10 million for Series B with the ability to fund the companies backed right through to IPO. Octopus Ventures has backed the founding teams of over 120 companies including Zoopla, Secret Escapes, graze.com, Depop and Cazoo.

[Rik ISS-fan]

Presser:
·        Orbex is 1st UK space-sector company to win prestigious Horizon 2020 funding

The funding round is completed by a €2.5 million grant from the European Horizon 2020 SME Instrument programme – the first for a UK space-sector company – to support the development of patented coaxial tanking technology. Orbex previously won £5.5 million in grant funding from the UK Space Agency’s Launch UK programme in 2018.

AFAIK Orbex got funding for a Phase 1 and Phase 2 EU Horizon 2020 SME instrument (in 2017 and 2019). It was for the development of their tank structures.
They are the first British company and the last British company to get funding from the EU Horizon program.
AFAIK, because the UK is leaving the EU, they can't participate any longer.

[PM3]

AFAIK, because the UK is leaving the EU, they can't participate any longer.

No more for the tanks, but potentially for the engines, which are developed, made and tested in Denmark.

[alanr74]

Interview in the register

"We're working towards the end of 2022," he tells us. However, he also remarks: "There's always something either internally or externally, that impacts the ability to meet those dates, whether it's, you know, the spaceport is delayed, or the regulations aren't ready yet, or we've got a technical issue to be solved…"

https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/14/orbex_interview/

[alanr74]

https://www.cityam.com/asos-billionaires-petition-to-stop-spaceport-plans-scrapped-by-judge/

The CEO of Scottish rocket company Orbex, Chris Larmour, praised the ruling, saying it was good news for both the UK’s space sector and the local economy.

“This is extremely positive news for a wide variety of communities and businesses and paves the way for the Pathfinder launch of small satellites from Sutherland Spaceport in Scotland.

“We’re especially pleased for the crofters of the Melness Crofters Estate, who will be able to protect and develop their community with modern jobs. Sutherland is still the only UK spaceport with planning permission and now, with this ruling, the countdown to space launch from the UK can begin.”

[alanr74]

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/business/3430942/rocket-builder-takes-on-more-space-for-its-growing-forres-workforce/

Rocket builder takes on more space for its growing Forres workforce 
 
Rocket builder Orbex is expanding its operations in Moray, with a move into a building close to its headquarters.

The company’s chief executive, Chris Larmour, said it needed the extra space to accommodate its growing workforce and house new equipment.

The firm is also working on a detailed planning application for a new factory that could create hundreds of new jobs.

Orbex, which is aiming to start launching its Prime mini-satellite carrying rockets from the planned Space Hub Sutherland spaceport next year, opened its base on Forres Enterprise Park in 2019.