Rocket test facility set to support UK space sector
Image courtesy University of Glasgow
The facility, called MachLab, has opened at a business park on the site of the former RAF Machrahanish airbase near Campbeltown.
MachLab was established by researchers from the University of Glasgow and backed by close to £500,000 in funding from industry, including matched contribution from the UK Space Agency. It aims to support the research and development of new rocket engines capable of delivering up to one tonne of thrust.
Researchers from academia and industry will be able to fire experimental rocket designs and gather data on their performance using MachLab’s custom-built test stand.
MachLab will also help establish the UK’s next generation of rocket engineers through specialist training, including a University of Glasgow-led programme called Rocketry Research Teaching Training, or R2T2. The programme, also funded by the UK Space Agency, will bring rocketry students from all over the UK to MachLab to develop their skills and test new rocket designs.
Dr Krzysztof Bzdyk and Professor Patrick Harkness, of the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering partnered with space technology experts Exotopic to design and build the MachLab facility. Machlab forms part of Exotopic’s growing R&D infrastructure at the Machrihanish site and the Glasgow researchers are continuing to collaborate with their counterparts at Exotopic on the delivery of the operational service.
Professor Harkness said: “MachLab is ready to play a key role in the UK’s strategy to return to vertical launch, ensuring that students and researchers can access hotfire facilities in a safe and controlled environment.
“MachLab will allow us to co-operate with other countries establishing or re-establishing their access to space. We have already had visitors from South Africa and we expect to welcome partners from Australia in the near future. The UK is returning to vertical launch and will be going to the stars. We are building that future here, today.”
Jack Tufft and Jack Davies are PhD students at the University of Glasgow, working on space propulsion. They were key members of the MachLab team.
Jack Davies said: “Being part of the team to make this facility come to fruition has been a great experience and it will enable research for spaceflight and planetary landing.”
The facility has already hosted an initial test-fire of new 3D-printed rocket engines with an advanced cooling system, designed by Jack Tufft and supported by funding from the UK Space Agency.
The TORC-1, -2 and -3 engines use a high-strength aerospace alloy made from copper, chromium and zirconium and were built to explore use of topology optimisation in regenerative cooling channel design, which can improve performance by making the engines lighter and more efficient.
The design was supported by ToffeeX, a physics-driven generative design software platform and by Aconity3D GmbH, who specialise in the development of state-of-the-art and beyond machines for additive manufacturing.
In the future, MachLab will enable the development of rocket engines using solid, liquid and cryogenic propellants designed to carry payloads into space.
The rocket test stand in MachLab’s fortified lab allows researchers to fire prototype rockets while they remain safely locked down and stationary. The lab was originally built in the late 1980s as part of a refuelling complex for US Air Force strategic bombers.
MachLab’s specialist data-collection equipment provides researchers with detailed readings of temperature, propellant consumption, chamber pressure and other key metrics to help them understand and refine their designs.
Dr Bzdyk said: “MachLab has been two years in the making, with all the systems required to operate a liquid bipropellant rocket engine being created from the ground up. We’re excited to be ready to start making our mark in rocket research, development and teaching in Scotland.
“Patrick and I are very grateful to our colleagues Jack Davies and Jack Tufft and the many others who have helped us in countless ways since work on MachLab began began.”
Andy Grey, CEO of Exotopic, said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity to partner with some of the UK’s leading researchers at the University of Glasgow to develop a world-class facility that provides a key capability within our unique aerospace R&D offering at Machrihanish airbase. We are looking forward to welcoming national and international researchers from academia and industry to our site, growing this R&D service and creating more jobs and opportunities in the area.”
Matt Archer, Director of Launch at the UK Space Agency, said: “Facilities like MachLab strengthen our launch ecosystem, helping build the skills, infrastructure and innovation needed for a resilient UK launch capability. By supporting rocket engine testing and inspiring future engineers, it lays the groundwork for the UK to lead in launch. The UK Space Agency is proud to have supported MachLab’s development as part of our broader commitment to growing the UK’s launch sector.”
Integrating fluid topology optimisation and AI, ToffeeX uses physics simulations to drive the engineering process, algorithmically generating optimised designs, focusing on engineering goals like heat dissipation, conduction and optimal fluid flow.
Aconity3D provides modular and expandable machine platforms, with fully configurable machines that offer flexibility – from automated solutions that require no user intervention to complete control over the entire process through their open system architecture.
