Race 2 Space
The ‘P’ is QPL stands for propulsion and as such one of our core areas for technological development is our own, in house propulsion systems. We are not alone in this endeavor and are fortunate to draw on years of experience from UK industry and academia.
In 2023/24 we participated in the Race 2 Space competition for the very first time, an annual competition in which university rocketry teams from across the UK design, manufacture, and test fire their rocket engines.
Competition background
Race 2 Space is an organisation which runs the National Propulsion Competition, the flagship student rocketry competition in the UK. Intended as a final link between industry and academia, Race to Space aims to provide the growing UK space industry with graduates who have practical and applicable experience in propulsion technologies.
Their goals of upskilling the future generation of the space industry strongly aligns with QPL’s mission in Northern Ireland. We therefore believe it is of upmost importance that we represent the region at the National Propulsion Competition and showcase all that NI has to offer.
2023/24
2023/24 was QPL’s first year attending Race 2 Space and the first time we had ever designed or built a rocket engine of any form. Starting in September 2023 with the goal of developing a hybrid engine, the propulsion team worked tirelessly to prepare for the competition day in July 2024.
After months of engineering, their efforts were rewarded with the first hot firing of the Phoenix engine at Westcott Space Cluster on the 17th of July. Phoenix used solid paraffin as a propellant with a nitrous oxide oxidiser to generate 300 N of thrust.
