Louie liquid rocket engine

Louie was LURA’s first liquid rocket engine, designed to use isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as fuel with either nitrous oxide (N2O) or liquid oxygen (LOX) as oxidizers. Its primary purpose was to provide the team with hands-on experience in liquid rocket engine design, serving as a stepping stone for more ambitious future projects. Louie was developed specifically for ground-based static fire tests, capable of producing 2 kN of thrust at a chamber pressure of 10 bar.

I joined the project during the late development stage and played a key role in bringing it to completion. I secured external funding, enabling our participation in the Race to Space competition, and successfully sourced and negotiated external manufacturing to ensure all parts were delivered on time. Following this, I negotiated a partnership with the manufacturer, establishing them as LURA’s main partner for the following year.

Louie was successfully test-fired using an IPA and N2O propellant combination at Race 2 Space 2023, where the team received the competition’s Best Team Spirit award. We returned in 2024 to fire the engine using IPA and LOX, but the test ended in a critical failure caused by inadequate sealing within the propellant manifold.