Skyrora Hot-Fires 3D-Printed Rocket Engine for LEO Launches

Skyrora Completes Hot-Fire Tests of 3D-Printed LEO Engine

UK launch services company Skyrora has finished a hot-fire test campaign of its 3.5kN low-Earth orbit engine built with a 3D-printed titanium-coated component. The tests took place at the company's Midlothian facility and represent a key milestone in the European Union-funded MADE-3D programme.

The engine component was produced using Skyrora's own Skyprint 2 hybrid directed energy deposition printer. By switching from a nickel-based alloy to titanium, Skyrora reduced the part's weight by approximately 44%. That is a meaningful gain for a rocket engine where every gram counts toward payload capacity.

Six fire tests were completed without damage to the modified components. Skyrora says the results confirm that the multi-material additive manufacturing approach can survive the high temperatures and loads inside a firing rocket engine.

Jordan McCormick, Design and Test Engineer at Skyrora, said the real test was moving the technology from lab to live firing conditions. "Through MADE-3D, we have worked alongside outstanding European partners to explore new approaches to additive manufacturing that could reshape the design and manufacture of propulsion systems," he said.

The MADE-3D consortium is a Horizon Europe research initiative focused on multi-material additive manufacturing. Skyrora contributed rocket propulsion and engine testing expertise throughout the programme. The partners aim to accelerate adoption of advanced manufacturing across Europe's space sector.

For Skyrora, this test closes one chapter and opens another. The company is now positioned to use lighter, more efficient 3D-printed components in future launch vehicles. That could translate directly into lower cost per kilogram to orbit, which is exactly what the smallsat market needs right now.