LEAP 71 is to support Aspire Space, a UAE-based space launch company, on the development of its Oryx reusable rocket ship.
A formal agreement was signed at Dubai Airshow, in the presence of HE Minister Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Chairman of the UAE Space Agency.
Oryx is a fully reusable, orbital-class launch vehicle designed to deliver up to 15 tons of cargo to low Earth orbit (3 tons in fully reusable mode). Both its booster and upper stage have been engineered for rapid reusability — returning to Earth after each mission for quick turnaround and relaunch.
Subsequent to this week's agreement, LEAP 71 will develop the rocket engines powering Oryx's second stage, with each engine producing 20 tons of thrust. The partners will pursue two parallel propulsion paths: a conventional engine and a novel aerospike configuration.
The aerospike concept, LEAP 71 believes, can offer superior efficiency across both atmospheric and vacuum flight regimes. The company successfully tested a 5kN aerospike engine last year, validating key aspects of its design and proving out its Noyron Large Computational Engineering model.
LEAP 71 will now team with Aspire Space to continue its development efforts in this area. The two companies are both members of the UAE Space Agency's Space Economic Zones Program and believe their partnership marks a major step toward establishing a sovereign UAE orbital launch capability.
