University of Bristol students break rocket thrust record in historic test

A team of students at Bristol University have successfully tested a rocket engine emitting 6,000 Newtons of force – roughly the same as the weight of a Smart car.  

6,000N sets a new student record for bi-propellant engines, equivalent to 0.6 tonnes of propulsion, beating out the record set by the University of Sheffield in July 2024 during the Race to Space competition. 

The BristolSEDS Society (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space), is a student-led group which has been developing this groundbreaking engine since November 2023, and they also compete in space-related competitions from Mars rovers to rocket launches. 

Facing setbacks with the fabrication of their 3D-printed combustion chamber which prevented its firing at the Race to Space 2024 competition, the team worked with the Manufacturing Technologies Catapult which helped them create two innovative combustion chambers.  

The first of these was used during the test campaign for the European Rocketry Challenge in September 2024 with Second Star, where the team had four days of testing, but the chamber did not fire correctly.  

The next series of tests were supported by research and test company Airborne Engineering Limited (AEL), supporters of the Race to Space competition. 

Team Lead Lillian Macbeth described how the team smashed the record after a series of encouraging trials. She said: “With dusk setting in, there was time for just one more test in the day. ” 

Adding: “The team conducted some additional last-minute simulations and decided to give the engine one further challenge.   

“The final test achieved a fantastic 6,000 Newtons of thrust, breaking the previous record set by the University of Sheffield in July 2024 during the Race to Space competition.   

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“BristolSEDS’ chamber held strong to endure the awesome temperatures produced.”   

These results will help the team to develop the propulsion system for their rocket entry to the European Rocketry Challenge, held in Constancia, Portugal every October, where they will aim to fly their rocket three kilometres high in the sky.  

“It is a huge step in our journey to flight and we are really excited for our next steps toward a launch-ready system.”