European Space Agency

French rocket builder Latitude has announced its successful completion of the first hot fire test of a flight-ready version of its Navier rocket engine’s combustion chamber.

Founded in 2019, Latitude is developing a two-stage rocket called Zephyr that will initially be capable of delivering up to 100 kilograms to low Earth orbit. The company is currently targeting 2026 for the rocket’s inaugural flight.

On 8 April, the company announced it had reached a significant milestone in the development of Zephyr with the first pressurised ignition test of the Navier engine’s combustion chamber in its flight configuration. The ten-second test was conducted at the company’s Titan testing centre in Vatry, near Reims, using its new, purpose-built test bench. According to the company, the data collected from the successful test will inform its upcoming long-duration tests.

Zephyr, which will stand 19 metres tall, will use seven Navier engines on its first stage and one vacuum-optimised Navier engine on its second.