Orbex Prime on launch pad

Orbex Prime launcher on launchpad.

Orbex is a European company, developing its Prime two-stage rocket that will launch small satellites up to 180 kg to low Earth orbits. Headquartered in Scotland, UK, and with a site in Denmark, the company’s Prime rocket measures 19 m high and is powered by a cluster of 3D-printed engines that run on liquid oxygen and bio-propane, a clean-burning renewable fuel. Prime is also being designed to be reusable in the future.

Orbex Prime will use a bio-propane propellant made from sustainable resources, such as plant and vegetable waste to reduce the rocket’s environmental footprint. 

ESA has signed a contract with Orbex to support the development of the Sutherland Spaceport in the UK as a launch pad for its Prime rocket, emphasising innovations to make launching small satellites into orbit as environmentally friendly as possible. The contract was signed as part of ESA’s Boost! Initiative.