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Self-eating rocket could help UK take a big bite of space industry
Published: 10 January 2024 New developments on a nearly century-old concept for a ‘self-eating’ rocket engine capable of flight beyond the Earth’s atmosphere could help the UK take a bigger bite of the space industry. New developments on a nearly century-old concept for a ‘self-eating’ rocket engine capable of flight beyond the Earth’s atmosphere could help the UK take a bigger bite of the space industry.
The Ouroborous-3 uses high-density polyethylene plastic tubing as its autophagic fuel source, burning it alongside the rocket’s main propellants – a mix of gaseous oxygen and liquid propane. The tests showed that the Ourobourous-3 is capable of stable burn - a key requirement for any rocket engine - throughout the autophage stage, with the plastic fuselage supplying up to one-fifth of the total propellant used. The University of Glasgow’s impressive work towards an autophage engine is an example of one which has great potential to meet the growing global appetite for developments in the efficiency and sustainability of rocket propulsion.”
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