Innovation Fund Denmark Invests DKK 23 Million in Danish Design and Production of Space Rockets

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Aerospace company Orbex has received funding to establish a Green Propulsion Excellence Centre in Hvidovre as part of its efforts to supply biofuel rocket engines for sending satellites into Earth's orbit. The centre will place Denmark and Orbex at the heart of the European space industry.

Space rocket manufacturer Orbex, with design and production facilities in Hvidovre, has been granted an investment of DKK 23.7 million from Innovation Fund Denmark. The money will be used to establish a 'Green Propulsion Excellence Centre' at the site in the Copenhagen suburb, where Orbex will design, produce and test green propulsion systems for Orbex's Prime rocket, which will send satellites into orbit around the Earth.

"We are very pleased that Innovation Fund Denmark has chosen to invest in the project. Firstly, it is a seal of approval for our efforts to deliver well-functioning engines for sustainable launch vehicle systems. Second, it helps strengthen Danish green innovation in aerospace and places Denmark at the heart of the European aerospace industry," says Jonas Bjarnø, Chief Scientist at Orbex.

Flying on green energy

The Orbex Prime rocket is launched from the Sutherland Spaceport in northern Scotland and green fuel in the form of biofuel. This makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions from the rocket by up to 96 per cent compared to similar launch vehicle systems that use fossil fuels. The Prime rocket is also reusable and is designed to leave no waste in Earth's orbit.

The establishment and implementation of the Green Propulsion Excellence Centre is in collaboration with FORCE Technology and is budgeted to cost a total of DKK 45.7 million. The DKK 23.7 million from Innovation Fund Denmark comes from its Grand Solutions programme, which invests in ambitious, cross-cutting research and innovation projects that can create new, concrete solutions to important politically prioritised societal challenges and that create value for all of Denmark.

Prime was Europe's first micro launcher when it was presented to the world in May 2022. Orbex has since been awarded a 50-year lease to construct and operate the Sutherland Spaceport, which will become their 'home spaceport'. Orbex intends to conduct 12 launches each year.

World-class quality control

FORCE Technology has been chosen as a development partner for the design and construction of a high-energy CT X-ray facility to help ensure the quality of the 3D-printed rocket engines before launch. The project is a direct continuation of 6 years of development work supported by the European Space Agency ESA.

"Innovation Fund Denmark has shown us confidence with this investment, which will take X-ray technology out of the laboratory and establish a full-scale demonstration facility at Orbex in Hvidovre. ESA has expressed enthusiasm that we have succeeded in placing a state-of-the-art facility on Danish soil and expects the European space industry to follow the project with great interest," says Thomas Aaboe Jensen, Programme Manager Space, FORCE Technology.

Danish flavour in a large market

The delivery of the green rocket engine systems will be a crucial component of a dynamic Danish space industry that could generate a turnover of around DKK 150 million per year and create around 60 jobs.

"We see it as our goal to pursue the great business opportunities that exist in modern Danish rocket engines facilitating European access to space," says Jonas Bjarnø, referring to a billion-dollar market for launches towards 2030.

The Green Propulsion Excellence Centre project runs until December 2025.