Orbex Receives €3M to Establish “Green Propulsion Excellence Centre”

UK-based launch provider Orbex has been awarded DKK 23.7 million (€3.08 million) in funding from Innovation Fund Denmark to establish a “Green Propulsion Excellence Centre” in Copenhagen.

Orbex is developing a two-stage rocket called Prime that will be powered by BioLPG. Once operational, Prime will be capable of delivering up to 180 kilograms to low Earth orbit. The company is also in the middle of building out its own “ultra-green” launch facility on Scotland’s North coast.

Announced on 12 June, the Green Propulsion Excellence Centre is to be a DKK 45.7 million (€6.13 million) collaboration between Orbex and Danish company FORCE Technology. Orbex will use the centre to design, produce, and test green propulsion systems for its rockets. FORCE Technology will contribute with the development of a “high-energy CT X-ray facility” that will ensure the quality of Orbex’s 3D-printed rocket engines before launch. According to Orbex, the project is expected to run until December 2025.

Orbex Continues Leadership Shakeup

The company’s leadership shakeup began in April 2023, with founder and CEO Chris Larmour stepping down. When the company eventually secured Phil Chambers’ services to fill the position permanently in January 2024, it had already gone through a pair of interim CEOs in Kristian von Bengtson and Martin Coates.

Chamber appears to be cleaning house starting with the company’s chief financial officer in May. Charles Platts has taken over from Simon Beswick, who had held the position since May 2019. A source speaking to European Spaceflight has confirmed that Orbex has now also removed Jonas Bjarnø as the company’s Chief Technology Officer, a position he’s held since late 2018. It’s not yet clear who will replace Bjarnø or whether he will assume a different leadership position.

As the company works through its leadership changes, progress on its launch facility appears to be slow. In a May 2024 update, which came 12 months after construction began, the company revealed that they have yet to start construction of the launch pad area, with work having been focused on hundreds of metres of roads and several bridges.

The company has also not recently announced any milestones in the development of Prime. The last major milestone came in 2022 with the stacking of a full-scale prototype. Since then, the company has not shared any progress toward an inaugural flight of Prime outside communication about the launch facility from which the rocket will be launched.