Engineers at the AIAA SciTech Forum recently showcased their advancements in the development of a self-eating rocket, known as autophage engines. The concept, first proposed and patented in 1938, has finally seen progress in recent years, with researchers successfully designing and firing a controlled autophage engine in 2018.

The latest prototype, named Ouroborous-3, generated 100 newtons of thrust at the MachLab facility in Machrihanish Airbase, Scotland. A video demonstration revealed the rocket consuming its own fuselage while being throttled and pulsed. The development team presented their findings to conference attendees in Orlando, Florida.

The key advancement in this technology lies in the use of more energetic liquid propellants, allowing for greater efficiency. Additionally, the rocket's fuselage can now be fed into the rocket without buckling, a significant obstacle that has been overcome. This progress paves the way for the future production of a flight vehicle.

Krzysztof Bzdyk, a postgraduate researcher at the James Watt School of Engineering, expressed optimism about the project's timeline. Bzdyk stated that a suborbital test flight of the self-eating rocket could be conducted as early as 2027, pending further development and testing.

While the primary goal is to create a flight demonstrator, lessons can be learned from current launch vehicles in terms of thrust vectoring and reaction control. Bzdyk also mentioned the possibility of exploring spin-stabilized rockets. Scaling up the rocket and achieving higher levels of thrust is a priority, with upcoming tests aiming for 1,000 Newtons of thrust and a flight demonstrator producing around 6,000 Newtons of thrust by 2027. An orbital launch vehicle, on the other hand, would require approximately 20,000 Newtons of thrust.

Nevertheless, the team emphasized their intention not to scale up excessively. Instead, they aim to utilize this technology to further miniaturize launch vehicles and overcome challenges related to propellant and structure as rockets become smaller.

The development progress in the self-eating rocket technology opens up new possibilities for more efficient and compact launch vehicles in the future. As the research continues, engineers remain hopeful about the potential of autophage engines in transforming space exploration.