Develops and manufactures hybrid rocket engines with paraffin/LOX as well as the launch vehicles SR75 and SL1.

HyImpulse Technologies GmbH

Neuenstadt am Kocher (headquarters) · Ottobrunn · Glasgow (GB)New on Amplifa

2018Founded (DLR spin-off)

65Employees (as of May 2024)

SR75: 11–13 m length, 0.64 m diameterComponent size

> €100 millionOrder backlog (2024)

SL1: 54 t lift-off mass, 2.2 mOrbital component size

About HyImpulse

HyImpulse Technologies GmbH is a German space company based in Neuenstadt am Kocher and develops hybrid rocket engines based on paraffin and liquid oxygen (LOX). The engine family includes the 10-kN engine (tested over 100 times), the flight-qualified 75-kN engine HyPLOX-75, and the 90-kN engine HyPLOX-90 with turbopump feed. Building on this, the company offers suborbital launch services with the SR75 (payload up to 250 kg, apogee up to 200 km), the orbital small-satellite launcher SL1 (three stages, up to 600 kg to LEO, in development), and the Orbital Transfer Vehicle HyMOVE (up to 400 kg payload, N₂O/HTPB hybrid engine). Manufacturing covers, in-house, engine development, turbomachinery and powerpacks, filament-wound composite casings, linerless CFRP LOX tanks and COPVs, laminated CFRP core and thrust structures, as well as avionics and flight software (GNC). Hot-fire testing takes place at test stands at DLR Lampoldshausen (full-scale and subscale M11) and at a ground test facility in Scotland. HyImpulse was founded in 2018 as a spin-off of the DLR Institute of Space Propulsion and employs around 65 staff. The SR75 maiden flight took place on 3 May 2024 from the Koonibba Test Range in Australia.

Site: Neuenstadt am Kocher
Processes: Hybrid rocket engine development and manufacturing (HyPLOX-75, 75 kN, paraffin/LOX), Hybrid rocket engine HyPLOX-90 (90 kN) for SL1, Hybrid rocket engine 10 kN (tested over 100 times), Carbon composite wrapping / filament winding of composite casings (linerless CFRP LOX tanks, COPVs), Laminated CFRP core and thrust structure construction, composite sandwich panels (HyMOVE), Turbomachinery and powerpack development/manufacturing (in-house), Avionics and flight software development (GNC), Suborbital launch services SR75 (payload up to 250 kg, apogee 200 km)
Materials: Paraffin (hybrid rocket propellant), Liquid oxygen (LOX), Nitrous oxide (N₂O), HTPB, Ethane (C₂H₆, bi-propellant with N₂O), CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic), Paraffin with liquid oxygen, Nitrous oxide
Founded: 2018
Employees: 65
Industries: Aerospace, New Space, Small satellites / SmallSat

01
System analysis and mission design
02
Engine development (HyPLOX family)
03
Composite manufacturing (filament winding, CFRP tanks, casings)
04
Turbomachinery and powerpack manufacturing
05
Avionics and flight software development (GNC)
06
Hot-fire tests (DLR Lampoldshausen, Scotland)
07
Launch service SR75/SL1 or OTV service HyMOVE

Materials & Propellants

Paraffin/LOX

Paraffin with liquid oxygen

Propellant combination of the HyPLOX engines and the SR75; non-toxic, safe to handle and re-ignitable.

N₂O

Nitrous oxide

Storable oxidizer of the HEROS technology and the HyMOVE hybrid engine.

HTPB

Solid propellant of the HyMOVE hybrid engine (4 kN).

C₂H₆

Ethane

Bi-propellant of the N₂O/C₂H₆ bi-propellant thrusters of HyMOVE.

CFRP

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP)

Linerless LOX tanks, COPVs, composite casings as well as core and thrust structures in lightweight sandwich and laminate designs.

Locations & Test Infrastructure

Neuenstadt am Kocher

Headquarters, development and manufacturing

Part weight / size: SR75: 11–13 m length, 0.64 m diameter; SL1: 2.2 m
Lot size: Single units and small series (rocket systems)
Materials: Paraffin, LOX, N₂O, HTPB, CFRP

Hybrid engines HyPLOX-75 (75 kN) and HyPLOX-90 (90 kN)
10-kN hybrid engine
SR75 and SL1 production line
HyMOVE OTV manufacturing
In-house turbomachinery and powerpacks

Lampoldshausen (DLR)

Test locations: full-scale and subscale/research test stands (M11)

Full-scale test stands
Subscale/research test stand M11

Scotland

Ground test facility for HyPLOX-90 and HyPLOX-75; Glasgow location

Ground test facility HyPLOX90/HyPLOX75

Ottobrunn

Site

Products & Components

**HyPLOX-75 hybrid engine (75 kN, paraffin/LOX)**Hybrid propulsion · Suborbital SR75 / Orbital SL1

**SR75 suborbital rocket**Hybrid propulsion · Suborbital launch services

**SL1 launch vehicle (3-stage, 90 kN)**Hybrid propulsion · Orbital launch services

**HyMOVE Orbital Transfer Vehicle**Hybrid propulsion · In-space mobility

**Hybrid rocket engines (engine family)**Hybrid propulsion · Space

Inside the production

Industries

AerospaceNew SpaceSmall satellites / SmallSat

Processes & technical limits

Processes	Tolerance	Max. part	Weight	Lot size	Materials
Hybrid rocket engine development and manufacturing (HyPLOX-75, 75 kN, paraffin/LOX)Engineering	–	–	–	–	Paraffin, Liquid oxygen (LOX)
Hybrid rocket engine HyPLOX-90 (90 kN) for SL1Engineering	–	–	–	–	Paraffin, LOX
Hybrid rocket engine 10 kN (tested over 100 times)Engineering	–	–	–	–	Paraffin, LOX
Carbon composite wrapping / filament winding of composite casings (linerless CFRP LOX tanks, COPVs)Forming	–	–	–	–	CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic), Carbon fiber composite
Laminated CFRP core and thrust structure construction, composite sandwich panels (HyMOVE)Joining	–	–	–	–	CFRP, Composite sandwich
Turbomachinery and powerpack development/manufacturing (in-house)Engineering	–	–	–	–	–
Avionics and flight software development (GNC)Engineering	–	–	–	–	–
Suborbital launch services SR75 (payload up to 250 kg, apogee 200 km)Engineering	–	13 m × 0.64 m (diameter)	250 kg	–	–
Orbital launch service SL1 (payload up to 600 kg to LEO, 3-stage, 90 kN turbopump-fed)Engineering	–	2.2 m (diameter)	600 kg	–	–
Orbital transfer service HyMOVE (OTV, payload up to 400 kg, N₂O/HTPB 4 kN hybrid engine)Engineering	–	–	400 kg	–	N₂O (storable oxidizer), HTPB, N₂O/C₂H₆ (bi-propellant)

9 Anlagen & Maschinen

Machine	Manufacturer / model	Quantity	Working area	Year built	Site
Hybrid rocket engine 75 kN (HyPLOX-75)	HyImpulse HyPLOX-75	–	–	2024 (Erst	Neuenstadt am Kocher / Test: Koonibba Test Range, Australia
Hybrid rocket engine 90 kN	HyImpulse HyPLOX-90	–	–	2025 (Hot-	Neuenstadt am Kocher / Test: DLR Lampoldshausen
Hybrid rocket engine 10 kN	HyImpulse	–	–	–	Neuenstadt am Kocher
Suborbital rocket SR75 (HyPLOX-75, paraffin/LOX, 75 kN)	HyImpulse SR75	–	Length 11 m (product page: 13 m), diameter 0.64 m	Erstflug	Neuenstadt am Kocher
Orbital launch vehicle SL1 (3-stage, 90 kN turbopump-fed)	HyImpulse SL1	–	Diameter 2.2 m, lift-off mass 54 t	in Entwick	Neuenstadt am Kocher
Orbital Transfer Vehicle HyMOVE (4 kN N₂O/HTPB hybrid engine)	HyImpulse HyMOVE	–	–	geplante	Neuenstadt am Kocher
Full-scale test stands	DLR Lampoldshausen	–	–	–	Lampoldshausen, Germany
Subscale/research test stands	DLR Lampoldshausen M11	–	–	–	Lampoldshausen, Germany
Ground test facility for HyPLOX90/HyPLOX75	–	–	–	–	Scotland, United Kingdom

Additional services

Suborbital launch service (SR75)Orbital launch service (SL1)In-space mobility / Orbital Transfer Vehicle (HyMOVE)Satellite-as-a-ServiceSpace-Data-as-a-ServiceMicrogravity experimentsPayload hosting

Reference customers

ESA (Boost! programme)Southern LaunchSpacemaniac

Company History

2006
Start of fundamental research on hybrid rocket engines with paraffin as propellant
2016
Suborbital flight (HEROS) set a student world record for hybrid/liquid-fuel rockets; first launch with paraffin/nitrous oxide
2018
HyImpulse founded as a DLR spin-off (Institute of Space Propulsion, Lampoldshausen)
2020
ESA Boost! contract worth €500,000
2022
€2.6 million funding from Baden-Württemberg (invest-BW)
2023
HyPLOX-75 flight-qualified after ninth hot-fire campaign; CAA licence for launches from SaxaVord
2024
SR75 maiden flight on 3 May 2024 from the Koonibba Test Range, Australia (apogee ~50 km); order backlog > €100 million
2024
ESA awards €11.8 million contract extension under the Boost! programme
2025
90-kN engine (HyPLOX90) successfully hot-fire tested