UK Rocket Engine To Take You From London To Sydney In Just 4 Hours

Reaction Engines Ltd (REL), the company behind the project, say that its new hypersonic rocket engine could reduce the hours it normally takes to travel from London to Sydney to around four hours. Initially, on a conventional jetliner, the trip takes up to 20 hours.

BBC reported that Reaction Engines says that it is preparing for a key demonstration which will take place in Colorado. If the engine is as good as its claims, it could open new doors for the future of transportation including spaceflight.

The company, which receives backing from Boing and Rolls-Royce, names its rocket engine Sabre. It takes in air from lower altitudes, but it is more similar to a rocket once it flies higher up.

BBC stated what Shaun Driscoll, program director of the company, had said:

According to the company, the Sabre engine could also push spaceflight’s frontiers, by allowing space companies to get rid of multiple propellant stages and sending spaceships straight into orbit.

A design review contract for the Sabre engine has been signed by the European Space Agency.

In an interview with the broadcaster, Mark Ford, the head of propulsion engineering of ESA, said: