Firing Up: Our Engine Testing Journey So Far

At Sunburnt Space Co., we’ve been busy pushing steel, fire, and fuel to their limits. Engine testing is where the real rocket-building magic happens and where we learn the most.

First Test Fires – 22nd August
Last Friday we lit up the aluminium version of our liquid engine. Twice.

• Test Fire 1: A successful 2-second burn that produced around 400N of thrust (though our data suggests it may have been closer to double that).

• Test Fire 2: About half a second in, things went bang. The engine detonated and ripped itself clean off the stand. From the shock pattern, it looks like fuel may have leaked into the cooling jacket — a spot where only N₂O should have been.

While not the outcome we hoped for, both tests were hugely valuable. The first gave us proof of combustion, and the second gave us critical insight into what not to do.

Cold Flow & Leak Testing
Before fire comes flow. We’ve run multiple cold flow tests to make sure tanks, valves, and plumbing all behave under pressure. And yes, leaks showed up (rocketry law: if it can leak, it will leak). Each time, we patched, re-engineered, and moved forward.

Engines are the heart of our rockets. Cracking stable combustion at small scale is the stepping stone to scaling up. Every blast teaches us something new and builds the foundation for Meggs Jr., our suborbital demonstrator aiming for the Kármán line in 2025.

Want to see the fire, smoke, and raw Aussie rocketry spirit for yourself? Join our Discord for behind-the-scenes videos and updates: sunsp.co/discord