SAN FRANCISCO – With funding from the Quebec government and private investment, Canadian launch startup Reaction Dynamics is completing development and preparing to qualify its RE-202 hybrid rocket engine.
The money gets us “to the point where we can fly,” Bachar Elzein, Reaction Dynamics CEO and chief technology officer, told SpaceNews.
First up is a suborbital launch later this year, followed by an orbital flight in 2027 or 2028.
Quebec’s government awarded $8 million Canadian dollars ($5.86 million) to Reaction Dynamics and $2 million to software developer Maya HTT, the Canadian firm providing simulation tools and software for Aurora, Reaction Dynamics’ rocket to send 200-kilogram payloads to low-Earth orbit.
Replenishing Constellations
Like many startups established in recent years, Reaction Dynamics seeks “to change the overall launch paradigm by offering our customers responsive launch services with rapid turnaround time,” Elzein said. “Our focus is ultra-responsive launch, the ability to replace a satellite within a few days.”
What makes Reaction Dynamics different from many competitors is its hybrid engine.
“Once you address the performance and scalability issues, you benefit from a hybrid rocket motor with less than 10 parts,” said Elzein, a combustion-dynamics researcher who shares rocket-engine patents with Maxime Goulet-Bourdon, Reaction Dynamics chief operating officer, and Miguel Gagnon, chief operating officer of AscensionX, a Canadian manufacturing firm.
The Aurora engine also relies on propellants that can be stored at room temperature.
“You can have the rockets fueled and ready to go, if you want to launch a satellite fast or from a concealed position rather than a big spaceport,” said Elzein.
Sovereign Capability
After years of working in relative obscurity, Reaction Dynamics is benefiting from growing international demand for sovereign capabilities.
“Since the company’s inception, we have been saying Canada should have its own sovereign launch capabilities,” Elzein said. “If a country cannot control its access to space, it’s very hard to benefit from the space economy overall.”
Recent events, including threats by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft, have fueled widespread concern about lack of competition in the global launch market.
Staying Lean
One reason Reaction Dynamics, founded in 2017, is still operating when other launch startups have failed, is frugality, Elzein said.
“When you build up the ability to be efficient with capital, prioritize and focus, it shows,” Elzein said. “Then, when you achieve progress, that will get the attention of investors and government funding. The past few months have been transformative.”
In April, Venture capitalist Tim Draper provided Reaction Dynamics’ with $1 million, its first external investment, after executives competed on Meet the Drapers, a pitch competition and reality TV show.
