en.Wedoany.com Reported - Balin Moher, a propulsion engineer at Reaction Dynamics, introduced the company's next-generation hybrid rocket propulsion architecture for small and medium launch vehicles at the Siemens Realize conference. This architecture aims to solve a half-century-old challenge in chemical propulsion: through a novel design, it provides stable thrust throughout the combustion process, requiring only a single tank of liquid oxidizer and fewer pipes, while remaining fully controllable.
Moher recalled that watching Space Shuttle launches from Cocoa Beach, Florida, as a child inspired him to pursue a career in space. While studying aerospace engineering at Ryerson University in Toronto, he founded a liquid rocket propulsion design team that at one point grew to over 100 members. Although university administration initially opposed students test-firing rocket engines on campus, Moher's efforts eventually secured approval for the project. The team subsequently successfully test-fired the engine, a feat that was covered by CBC National News.
In his presentation, Moher introduced three types of chemical propulsion systems: solid, liquid, and hybrid. Hybrid rockets combine the mass efficiency of solids with the controllability of liquids, but traditional hybrid propulsion systems suffer from a thrust curve decay issue: as the fuel burns, the fuel channel expands, causing an uncontrolled decline in combustion efficiency and reduced performance. Reaction Dynamics' innovative architecture aims to overcome this challenge. The company's Aurora 8 rocket can deliver approximately 200 kilograms of payload to orbit. Moher noted that at this scale, liquid propulsion systems are economically unfeasible due to the high fixed costs associated with the number of parts and complexity.
Reaction Dynamics uses storable propellants, specifically liquid hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizer. This propellant allows for fueling months or even years in advance while remaining in standby mode, supporting the "ready-to-launch" concept. The company's rocket can be packed into a standard shipping container, and the launch infrastructure is also containerized, enabling launches from remote locations and reducing launch preparation time from days to hours. The Canadian Department of National Defence recently conducted a launch through the "North Challenge" project, Canada's first launch infrastructure construction project of its kind. Under this project, Reaction Dynamics received an $8.3 million grant (currency unspecified), which will be incorporated into a $16 million recorded project over the next three years.
During development, Reaction Dynamics used the Siemens toolchain for design and simulation. Hardware was designed in the NX Design Center, and the team used Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to model the system's internal ballistics, flow behavior, and combustion dynamics, while managing version control through Teamcenter. Its early partner MHI assisted with complex computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tasks. After seven years of iterative design, the team successfully tested the RE102 engine, the final flight iteration version that will be used for a suborbital space mission this fall. Moher stated that the digital world guides the physical world, and the physical world feeds back into the digital world—this digital twin approach enables the team to collect test data and validate CFD models.
Moher also introduced an AI tool he developed in his spare time called "CAD Monkey." This tool uses natural language to drive the NX Design Center, aiming to shorten design cycles from days or weeks to minutes or hours. He is exploring how to connect unstructured engineering thinking—such as slides, spreadsheets, design notes, and meeting discussions—with structured, auditable work to accelerate the engineering process.
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