Editing Aerospike engine (section)

== Implementations ==
=== Firefly Aerospace ===
In July 2014 [[Firefly Aerospace|Firefly Space Systems]] announced its planned Alpha launcher that uses an aerospike engine for its first stage. Intended for the small satellite launch market, it is designed to launch satellites into low-Earth orbit (LEO) at a price of US$8–9&nbsp;million, much lower than with conventional launchers.<ref name=giz1407>{{cite web|url=http://www.gizmag.com/firefly-alpha-aerospike-launch-vehicle/32892 |title=Firefly Space Systems unveils Alpha launch vehicle design with aerospike engine |publisher=Gizmag.com |date= 14 July 2014|access-date=2014-07-14}}</ref>

[[Firefly Alpha]] 1.0 was designed to carry payloads of up to {{convert|400|kg}}. It uses carbon composite materials and uses the same basic design for both stages. The plug-cluster aerospike engine puts out {{convert|90000|lbf|kN}} of thrust. The engine has a bell-shaped nozzle that has been cut in half, then stretched to form a ring with the half-nozzle now forming the profile of a plug.<ref name=giz1407/>

This rocket design was never launched. The design was abandoned after Firefly Space Systems went bankrupt. A new company, [[Firefly Aerospace]], has replaced the aerospike engine with a conventional engine in the Alpha 2.0 design. However, the company has proposed Firefly Gamma, a partially reusable spaceplane with aerospike engines.

=== ARCA Space ===
In March 2017 [[ARCA Space Corporation]] announced their intention to build a [[single-stage-to-orbit]] (SSTO) rocket, named [[Haas (rocket)#Haas 2CA|Haas 2CA]], using a linear aerospike engine. The rocket is designed to send up to 100&nbsp;kg into low-Earth orbit, at a price of US$1&nbsp;million per launch.<ref name="ARCA">{{cite web|title=ARCA News|url=http://www.arcaspace.com/en/news.htm|website=ARCA Space|access-date=30 May 2018|archive-date=23 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123200938/https://www.arcaspace.com/en/news.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> They later announced that their Executor Aerospike engine would produce {{convert|50500|lbf|kN}} of thrust at sea level and {{convert|73800|lbf|kN}} of thrust in a vacuum.<ref>{{cite web |title=Haas 2CA Specs |url=http://www.arcaspace.com/en/Haas_2CA/specs.htm |website=ARCA Space |access-date=30 May 2018 |archive-date=30 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180530002103/http://www.arcaspace.com/en/Haas_2CA/specs.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In June 2017, ARCA announced that they would fly their Demonstrator3 rocket to space, also using a linear aerospike engine. This rocket was designed to test several components of their Haas 2CA at lower cost. They announced a flight for August 2017.<ref name="ARCA"/>  In September 2017, ARCA announced that, after being delayed, their linear aerospike engine was ready to perform ground tests and flight tests on a Demonstrator3 rocket.<ref name="ARCA"/>

On December 20, 2019, ARCA tested the LAS 25DA aerospike steam rocket engine for the Launch Assist System.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flight of the Aerospike: Episode 34 - LAS 25DA Aerospike Engine |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnrTrsRskp8  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/WnrTrsRskp8| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|website=Youtube | date=30 December 2019 |publisher=ARCA Space |access-date=August 5, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===KSF Space and Interstellar Space===
Another spike engine concept model, by KSF Space and Interstellar Space in Los Angeles, was designed for orbital vehicle named SATORI. Due to lack of funding, the concept is still undeveloped.<ref name="ksf">{{cite web | url=https://www.ksf.space/satori-ksf-space.html | title=SATORI Space Vehicle Rocket | website=KSF Space}}</ref>

=== Rocketstar ===
Rocketstar planned to launch its 3D-printed aerospike rocket to an altitude of 50 miles in February 2019 but canceled the mission three days ahead of liftoff citing safety concerns. They are working on a second launch attempt.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-09-27|title=RocketStar ready for second suborbital flight attempt|url=https://spacenews.com/rocketstar-ready-for-second-suborbital-flight-attempt/|access-date=2021-12-14|website=SpaceNews|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Pangea Aerospace ===
In November 2021, Spain-based [[Pangea Aerospace]] began hot-fire testing of its small-scale demonstration methane-oxygen aerospike engine DemoP1.<ref>{{cite web
 | title = Pangea Aerospace tests aerospike engine
 | url = https://spacenews.com/pangea-aerospace-tests-aerospike-engine/
 | website = SpaceNews
 | date = November 20, 2021
 | access-date = January 2, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | title = Research Activities in the Development of DemoP1: A LOX/LNG Aerospike Engine Demonstrator
 | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350800053
 | website = ResearchGate
 | date = March 2021
 | access-date = December 22, 2022}}
</ref>

After successfully testing the demonstrator DemoP1, Pangea plans to up-scale to the 300&nbsp;kN ARCOS engine.<ref>{{cite web
 | title = Aerospike Propulsion
 | url = https://pangeaaerospace.com/technology/
 | website = Pangea Aerospace
 | access-date = December 22, 2022}}
</ref>

=== Stoke Space ===
Headquartered in Kent, Washington, [[Stoke Space]] is building and testing a distributed architecture LH2/LOX aerospike system for its reusable second stage.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-10-10|title=Stoke Space aims to build rapidly reusable rocket with a completely novel design|url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/10/stoke-space-aims-to-build-rapidly-reusable-rocket-with-a-completely-novel-design/|access-date=February 13, 2023|website=Arstechnica|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Polaris Spaceplanes ===
The [[Bremen]]-based German startup [[POLARIS Raumflugzeuge GmbH]] received a [[Bundeswehr]] contract to design and flight test a linear aerospike engine in April 2023. The company is set to test this new engine on board of its fourth spaceplane demonstrator, DEMO-4 MIRA, in late 2023<ref>{{Cite web |title=POLARIS Raumflugzeuge - POLARIS receives Bundeswehr Study Contract for Linear Aerospike Rocket Engine Design and Flight-Testing |url=https://polaris-raumflugzeuge.de/News/POLARIS-receives-Bundeswehr-Study-Contract-for-Linear-Aerospike-Rocket-Engine-Design-and-Flight-Testing |access-date=2023-07-25 |website=polaris-raumflugzeuge.de |language=de-DE}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://europeanspaceflight.com/polaris-spaceplanes-begins-testing-its-mira-light-vehicle/|title=POLARIS Spaceplanes Begins Testing its MIRA-Light Vehicle|author=Andrew Parsonson|date=August 25, 2023|website=European Spaceflight}}</ref> at Peenemünde,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/organisation/ausruestung-baainbw/aktuelles/wtd61-unbemanntes-raumflugzeug-getestet-5594484 | title=Aus "ATHENA" wird "NOVA" - Unbemanntes Raumflugzeug getestet | date=13 March 2023 }}</ref> where the [[V-2 rocket]]s were developed.

The original MIRA demonstrator was catastrophically damaged in a runway accident in February 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=POLARIS Raumflugzeuge - Demonstrators |url=https://www.polaris-raumflugzeuge.de/Technology/Demonstrators |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=polaris-raumflugzeuge.de}}</ref>

On 29 October 2024, the company was the first ever to ignite an aerospike engine in a flight over the Baltic Sea, powering a four-engine, kerosene-fueled, turbojet MIRA-II demonstrator. The test involved a three-second burn to collect data with minimal engine stress. The vehicle achieved an acceleration of 4&nbsp;m/s², producing 900 [[Newton (unit)|newtons]] of thrust.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parsonson |first=Andrew |date=2024-11-12 |title=POLARIS Spaceplanes Complete First In-Flight Rocket Engine Ignition |url=https://europeanspaceflight.com/polaris-spaceplanes-complete-first-in-flight-rocket-engine-ignition/ |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=European Spaceflight |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Salas |first=Joe |date=2024-11-08 |title=World's first aerospike rocket test mid-flight successful |url=https://newatlas.com/aircraft/worlds-first-successful-aerospike-rocket-flight-test/ |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=New Atlas |language=en-US}}</ref>

On February 27, 2025, it was announced that the company had been commissioned by the Bundeswehr procurement office [[Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support|BAAINBw]] to develop a two-stage, horizontal take-off and fully reusable hypersonic research aircraft. In addition to its use as a hypersonic testbed and experimental platform for defense-related and scientific research, the aircraft can also be used as a small satellite carrier. POLARIS Spaceplanes plans to develop a prototype of a fully reusable spaceplane capable of transporting loads of up to 1,000 kilograms into space by 2028.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-27 |title=Bundeswehr beauftragt POLARIS mit der Entwicklung eines wiederverwendbaren Hyperschallflugzeugs |url=https://www.hartpunkt.de/polaris-hyperschallflugzeug-bundeswehr/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |language=de}}</ref>

=== Bath Rocket Team ===
Based at the [[University of Bath]], the Bath Rocket Team has been developing their own [[Hybrid-propellant rocket|hybrid rocket engine]] with an aerospike nozzle since 2020. The engine was first tested at the UK Race to Space National Propulsion Competition in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Propulsion Competition |url=https://www.racetospace.org.uk/national-propulsion-competition |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=UK RACE TO SPACE |language=en-GB}}</ref> The team is developing a flight-ready version of the engine they are planning to fly for the first time at [[European Rocketry Challenge|EuRoC24]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bath Rocket Team on LinkedIn: #ukrace2space #rocketscience #rockets #propulsion #team #engineering… |url=https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bath-university-rocket-team_ukrace2space-rocketscience-rockets-activity-7084566750985383936-KpvU |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=www.linkedin.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== SpaceFields ===
SpaceFields, incubated at IISc, has successfully tested India's first AeroSpike Rocket Engine at its Challakere facility on 11-Sep-2024. The engine achieved a peak thrust of 2000N and featured altitude compensation for optimal efficiency.<ref>{{Cite news |title=IISc-incubated startup hot-tests aerospike rocket engine |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bluru-startup-spacefields-hot-tests-indias-first-aerospike-rocket-engine/articleshow/113248498.cms |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=Times of India |date=11 September 2024 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== LEAP 71 ===
[[File:LEAP 71 Aerospike hot fire December 18th, 2024.jpg|thumb|Mach diamonds in the exhaust of LEAP 71's 5kN aerospike rocket engine]]
LEAP 71 a company based in Dubai, successfully hot fired a 5000N Aerospike powered by cryogenic [[liquid oxygen]] (LOX) and [[kerosene]] at the test stand of Airborne Engineering in Westcott, UK. The engine was created through the Noyron Large [[Computational engineering|Computational Engineering]] Model,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lin Kayser on LinkedIn: #aerospike #noyron {{!}} 50 comments |url=https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7275939598990557186/ |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=www.linkedin.com |language=en}}</ref> and 3D-printed using [[selective laser melting]] as a single monolithic part from copper (CuCrZr). The central spike was cooled using LOX, whereas the outer jacket was cooled using the kerosene fuel.