Cohort 2
Following the successful kick-off of Cohort 1 this year, the UK Space Agency has funded an additional 10 projects within the R2T2 consortium.
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Cohort 2 projects will begin in October 2025 - application links below!
University
Industry
Partner
Project
Description
Application
Link
In this project at the University of Glasgow, the student will be based out of the Space Propulsion and Deep Exploration (SPADE) lab within the Space and Exploration Technology (SET) research group. Working with Orbex, the student will focus on optimisation of rocket engine propellant feed systems components, through a design process involving ideation, optimisation, simulation, manufacture, and experimental validation. This project will also have a focus on the utilisation of additive manufacturing of complex components.
This student will have the unique opportunity to contribute to space launch hardware while working in conjunction with the Orbex propulsion team, operating with industry leaders and leveraging state-of-the-art facilities and resources.
In this project at the University of Glasgow, the student will be based out of the Space Propulsion and Deep Exploration (SPADE) lab within the Space and Exploration Technology (SET) research group.
Experimental equipment will be developed to evaluate the performance of supersonic turbomachinery components that have been designed utilising SoftInWay’s AxSTREAM software. The data will be used to fine-tune the source code of this software package and enable more accurate design generation and simulation.
A significant limiting factor of hybrid propulsion systems is the continuous change in surface area of the propellant grain during the combustion process. This changing O/F ratio has an impact on the performance of the hybrid system making it hard to optimise. Work at Kingston University has been the development of a light weight, compact Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) system used to study the combustion processes of hybrid propellant propulsion systems. The tomography system operates at approx. 4,000-6,000Hz gathering significant amounts of data per run.
In order to perform inflight tests using the ECT as hardware in the loop to control O/F ratios in a hybrid propulsion system a rugged miniaturised microwave Ka band RF transceiver needs to be developed. This key technology, tested in-situ on representative chemical rocket propulsion systems will enable the development of a O/F control mechanism that will overcome one of the major barriers for exploiting the benefits of hybrid propellant propulsion systems.
Current modelling and simulations require either generic assumptions to be made for fluid dynamic based modelling leading to inaccuracies between modelled and experimental data or, intense computational recourses for limited duration yet highly accurate particle-in-cell (PIC) modelling. Kingston University has developed a simulation model that narrows the gap between these two simulation regimes by harnessing and advancing the latest developments in AI Machine Learning.
The code developed (called Persius) runs approximately 20x faster than traditional (PIC) models and can scale bridging the gap between micro and macro regimes of simulation. The code needs to be verified and further refined with user cases against experimental data sets. The aim of this project is to collect data from plasma and combustion-based propulsion systems and analyses the effectiveness of Persius for the space launch and propulsion sectors and wider aerospace industry.
This project will involve the design and testing of high-temperature alloys to be used in critical rocket engine components. High temperature and oxygen-resistant alloys are required to be able to withstand extreme environments found within engine turbomachinery, where components are operating under high stress, high temperature and in the presence of oxygen-rich combustion gases, which can erode and damage metals. Nickel-based superalloys, oxide dispersion-strengthened alloys and high-entropy alloys will all be investigated, for both their material performance and additive-manufacturability.
This project with The Falcon Project will focus on the aerodynamic/thermodynamic analysis and optimisation of sounding rockets. During travel in the Earth's atmosphere, spacecraft and rockets experience high aerodynamic and heating loads during both launch, cruise and re-entry. The project will involve the practical design and launch of sounding rockets to investigate the effectiveness of aerodynamic/thermodynamic modifications for reduced drag and improved control of thermal and aerodynamic loads at transonic and supersonic speeds.
Magdrive are developing ultra-high power pulsed, plasma propulsion systems which promise to deliver chemical propulsion thrust levels with electric propulsion Isp performance or efficiency. This project will seek to optimise the SuperMagdrive product for kick stage applications, working with UK launcher companies seeking to increase their payload capacities, reach higher orbits such as GEO normally inaccessible to small launchers, and to deliver payloads to interplanetary trajectories. This will enable a range of UK small launcher, small satellite and advanced power / propulsion systems to compete more effectively in the global space transportation market.
Control of vehicles operating at hypersonic speed encompasses Aerodynamics, Flight Dynamics and Thermal control. A hypersonic vehicle cannot employ conventional aircraft controls due to the immense gas temperatures and corresponding heat transfer. Morphing surfaces, where components are sealed from the external high-temperature environment, represent a possible alternative to reaction jets that tend to be used in high-speed conditions, which also have application (leading edge vortex flaps) for low-speed high lift generation at take-off and landing.
It is proposed to undertake a combined experimental (Cranfield hypersonic wind tunnel, with sting force balance, Schlieren video and infrared surface thermography) and High fidelity CFD study (Navier-Stokes with real gas modelling) to compare the control authority and heating load on a generic hypersonic configuration controlled by i) reaction jet blowing and ii) morphing leading edge and iii) a combination of both, to identify which strategy might be superior. A reaction jet rig will be constructed to enable powered jet flows to be experimentally measured.
The project involves the design, manufacturing and testing of a novel propulsion architecture leveraging advanced electrochemistry technology to enable the use of sustainable propellant in a chemical rocket system. The architecture can be directly integrated into existing satellite platforms, enhancing their orbital capabilities and/or can become a cornerstone technology for future planetary exploration missions where rocket propellant will be derived from in-situ resources.
This project looks at capturing and modelling the uncertainties related to mathematical- and physics-based modelling, and those generated through on-ground testing. Specifically, in this project, simulations will predict exhaust plume species that may be expected in a number of combustion and scenarios, where these scenarios shall be consistent with planned hotfires in support of Skyrora’s development programme. When the hotfires actually occur, they will be instrumented by the student in a manner that can combine real-time engine data alongside the resulting plume characteristics, and so validate the simulation results.