TLDR: A groundbreaking aerospike rocket engine, entirely designed by generative AI, has successfully undergone its first hot fire test. Developed by Dubai-based LEAP 71 using their ‘Noyron’ computational engineering model, the 3D-printed engine achieved 5,000 Newtons of thrust, demonstrating the significant potential of AI in accelerating complex aerospace design and development.
In a significant leap for aerospace engineering, an aerospike rocket engine, uniquely designed by generative artificial intelligence, has successfully completed its inaugural hot fire test. The engine, developed by Dubai-based company LEAP 71, utilized its advanced Large Computational Engineering Model named ‘Noyron’ to autonomously conceive the intricate design in approximately three weeks—a process that traditionally takes years.
The hot fire test, conducted on December 18, 2024, at Airborne Engineering in Westcott, UK, saw the 3D-printed engine achieve a thrust of 5,000 Newtons (1,100 lbf). The engine was fueled by a mix of cryogenic liquid oxygen and kerosene and was able to withstand extreme gas temperatures of 3,500 °C (6,300 °F). It was manufactured as a monolithic piece from a copper alloy (CuCrZr) using industrial 3D printing techniques.
Aerospike engines are highly sought after for their efficiency across varying atmospheric pressures, including the vacuum of space, due to their ability to adjust to fluctuating air pressure. Unlike conventional bell-shaped nozzles, they feature a central spike over which combustion gases expand. A critical challenge with this design is cooling the spike, which is surrounded by extremely hot exhaust gases. Josefine Lissner, CEO and Co-Founder of LEAP 71, highlighted the AI’s role in overcoming this, stating, “We were able to extend Noyron’s physics to deal with the unique complexity of this engine type. The spike is cooled by intricate cooling channels flooded by cryogenic oxygen, whereas the outside of the chamber is cooled by the kerosene fuel. I am very encouraged by the results of this test, as virtually everything on the engine was novel and untested. It’s a great validation of our physics-driven approach to computational AI.”
Lin Kayser, Co-Founder of LEAP 71, emphasized the transformative impact of AI on development timelines: “Despite their clear advantages, Aerospikes are not used in space access today. We want to change that. Noyron allows us to radically cut the time we need to re-engineer and iterate after a test and enables us to converge rapidly on an optimal design.”
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This successful test positions LEAP 71 among an elite group of teams to have mastered the challenges of aerospike engine design in recent decades. The company plans to continue processing the collected data to refine Noyron for the next generation of engines, with more tests slated for 2025, aiming to make aerospikes a viable option for modern spacecraft.
