ANU Rocketry Propulsion Team Makes History with Australia’s First Student-Led Integrated Liquid Rocket Test Campaign.
The ANU Rocketry Propulsion Team has achieved a significant milestone in aerospace engineering, becoming the first Australian university student team to successfully conduct integrated cryogenic liquid rocket propulsion testing, as part of its Polaris test campaign.
Polaris is a student-designed and manufactured 1 kN bipropellant liquid rocket engine, using liquid oxygen and bio-ethanol as propellants. Alongside the engine, the team has developed specialised test stands and ground support infrastructure designed to safely handle cryogenic propellants and operate under high pressures allowing to test and iterate future generations of rocket engines. The project required six years of engineering development and four generations of graduates, laying a solid foundation for continued liquid propulsion research and development at ANU.
Over three exhausting days in October 2026, the team conducted a comprehensive test campaign in Canberra, bringing together years of design, manufacturing and testing into a fully integrated propulsion system. The campaign successfully demonstrated safe cryogenic liquid oxygen handling, integrated liquid oxygen and ethanol flow testing, effective injector atomisation and homogenous propellant mixing. These achievements represent significant technical milestones, validating key elements of the propulsion system and demonstrating the team’s capability to design, manufacture and operate complex liquid rocket propulsion infrastructure.
With Polaris demonstrating the team’s integrated propulsion capabilities, the attention will turn to Orion, the next-generation liquid rocket engine that is designed to power future rockets capable of reaching space. It incorporates computationally optimised regenerative cooling channels, advanced film cooling techniques and innovative manufacturing methods. These technologies aim to improve engine performance, thermal management and reliability, drawing directly on the experimental data and experience gained throughout the Polaris campaign.
Looking ahead, the next major goal is to successfully hot-fire the liquid-propellant rocket engine. With many test campaigns already scheduled for 2027, there is excitement to take the next step towards achieving this milestone.
Congratulations and thanks to all involved - please read the many names in the comments.
Photo - ANU Rocketry