UAE's Rocket Engine Ignites Space Ambitions

Born of the Future: UAE's First Fully Developed Liquid Rocket Engine Ignites Successfully

The United Arab Emirates has achieved another milestone in space exploration as the first liquid-propellant rocket engine entirely designed and developed within the country has successfully ignited. This landmark is not only an engineering feat but also an embodiment of a national ambition: the UAE aims to play a role on the global space industry stage as an active technology developer, not just a participant.

The historic moment took place at a British control center, where engineers from the Emirates, in collaboration with the British Airborne Engineering team, watched the first successful ignition with bated breath. The engine, which has a thrust of 250 newtons and falls into a smaller class, is significant beyond its size, as it is the first operational engine designed and tested at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi.

Technical Performance and Engineering Background

The engine development involved more than 50 test ignitions and achieved a 94% combustion efficiency—a rate considered world-class and typically found in the programs of nations that have been active players in the space technology race for decades. During the project, the team not only optimized the engine's operation but gained substantial experience in heat load, structural stability, injector design, and safety protocols.

Interestingly, nearly half of the project team consisted of Emirati engineers. For them, this achievement is not just a professional success but also holds emotional significance; many of them only saw rockets launch into space on television as children, but now they work on creating their own systems. This breakthrough has both technical and identity-forming impact.

Challenges - Can innovation thrive without infrastructure?

One of the biggest hurdles in development was the lack of local testing infrastructure. Currently, the UAE lacks full facilities for static fire tests of liquid fuel rockets. To overcome this, engineers established temporary 'cold-flow' test setups in Abu Dhabi that allowed basic fluid flow and pressure tests. The 'hot' fire tests, however, were conducted in the United Kingdom.

This collaboration highlighted that the will to innovate can surpass physical constraints—the Emirati engineers created mobile test stations and aimed to establish their own static fire test facility in Abu Dhabi by 2026. This new testing station will be capable of examining engines up to five times more powerful, and the first 1-kilonewton engine ignition is planned on national soil in the same year.

The Next Steps: Not Stopping Here

The current success is just the first step. According to TII, the next phases have already begun: scaling of engines, research into cryogenic (extremely low temperature) fuel engines, and developing technologies applicable for long-term orbital or deep space missions.

The goal is clear: the UAE aims to enter the next phase of the space race with engines designed and manufactured locally, not only for satellite orbital corrections or positioning but for independent interplanetary missions. With this, the country joins a small international elite capable of operating home-designed liquid fuel rocket engines, alongside countries like the United States, China, Russia, Japan, India, and members of the European Space Agency.

Human Element: Behind Tech, There Are People

The project's emotional weight and social impact cannot be underestimated. The shared community experience of development—from the silence after the countdown, the sight of the first flame, to the successful ignition—can become a source of motivation for an entire generation. For the participating engineers, this was not just a technical victory but proof that with support, knowledge, and determination, the impossible becomes possible.

This rocket engine, however 'small' by global standards, represents a monumental step for the UAE. The first stone in the path to future space missions is already in place, and the fact that the country placed this stone by its own hands signals that the Emirates are not just watching the stars, but are set to reach them.

The exploration of space is no longer just the game of major powers. For Dubai and the whole UAE, this successful engine ignition clearly signals that ambitions can be realized by combining technological innovation with national commitment, engineering talent, and a long-term vision.

(Source: Statement by the Propulsion and Space Research Centre.)