PyraLink Aerospace unveils progress on Protea RB-E1 rocket engine development
Aria Alamalhodaei / 12:00 PM GMT+2•March 18, 2024
South Africa’s space industry is setting its sights on the stars, and PyraLink Aerospace is at the forefront of the charge. Today, they’ve unveiled the Protea RB-E1, a new rocket engine poised to be a game-changer for the country’s launch capabilities.
Named after South Africa’s stunning national flower, the Protea RB-E1 embodies the spirit of innovation and resilience. This regeneratively cooled, liquid oxygen/kerosene Tap-Off cycle engine represents a significant leap forward in the PyraLink mission to develop powerful and reliable propulsion systems in Africa.
Space Within Your Reach
Designed and developed entirely in South Africa, the Protea RB-E1 is more than just an engine; it’s the foundation for a flagship family of South African Rocket engines. The propulsion system would be employed on a hypothetical medium-lift orbital-class twin-stage rocket to deliver heavy SANDF defence communication satellites of about 600kg.
“Our aim is to provide access to space from the tip of Africa,” said Lawrence Matjila, Director of PyraLink Aerospace.
“To achieve this, we are starting off by turning our attention to the most complex part of a launch vehicle — the propulsion system.”
At the heart of our mission lies the Protea Rocket Engine Family. These rocket engines are designed to be powerful, efficient, and built right here in Mzansi.
The Protea RB-E1/RU-E2 marks a significant milestone in our journey. This engine represents a leap forward in South African rocket propulsion, paving the way for:
- SA Satellite Launch Capabilities: The Protea RB-E1’s power and efficiency are ideal for launching medium-heavy satellites, crucial for Earth observation, Defence, telecommunication, and scientific research.
- A Thriving Domestic Launch Industry: With the Protea engine family, PyraLink Aerospace aims to reduce reliance on foreign launch providers, fostering a robust and independent South African space industry.
- Made in South Africa: PyraLink prioritizes domestic development of Rocket engines, fostering local expertise and boosting the national space industry.
Strengthening South Africa’s Presence in Space
Access to space is key to unlocking the innovation potential of technologies that are urgently needed to tackle climate change, ensure safe and efficient connectivity and improve critical infrastructures worldwide. The geopolitical events of 2022 have been a wake-up call for decision-makers in Africa and have prioritized the need for sovereign African access to space to ensure the continent’s global competitiveness. PyraLink Aerospace will make a significant contribution to expanding the offer for independent and flexible access to space. The company is one of a handful of African upstarts looking to fill the gap in the launch market on the continent.
PyraLink is taking a long-term approach, Matjila said. This thinking is built into the company’s decision to be fully vertically integrated, its semi-automated, mass-manufacturing technique, and the design of the launch vehicles. The company is betting that some investments — in the vertical integration, for example — will eventually have a huge pay off, even if that pay-off is not realized for the first three or even five vehicles.
“I believe that you can be much cheaper if you’re actually fully vertically integrated — if you know how to do it,” Matjila said. “I think one of the big drivers for us early on was scalability. We wanted to not just build one or two Rocket engines a year, but tens of Rocket engines per year. In that case, especially with more and more units per year, it really starts paying off if you actually do it yourself.”
Looking even five or ten years down the line, there may only be around eight major launch players spread across the world, he said. “Probably you’re going to have three to four players in the U.S., maybe two players or so within Europe, maybe another two within Asia. That would be my guess.”
“It’s not that many,” he added. “But look, if you divide the entire market globally for launch services by seven, eight companies, it’s a very lucrative business for those seven, eight companies.”
About PyraLink Aerospace
“PyraLink Aerospace is a South African private rocket company that manufactures SA-made liquid rocket engines, spacecraft components, and provides Launch Services for National Security satellites, Offering access to Orbit from South Africa. The company was founded in 2022 by Thato Lawrence Matjila, a South African businessperson, to make space accessible to Africa.”
Find more information via: https://pyralink.co.za
Media relations PyraLink Aerospace
media@pyralink.co.za
