NFA tests Mjölnir engine
Mjölnir engine fire tests
American company New Frontier Aerospace is completing the development of a promising liquid-fueled rocket Mjölnir engine. This product has recently undergone fire tests and confirmed the calculated characteristics. In the near future, this engine is planned to be used in the construction of experimental aircraft of two new types.
Technology and ecology
New Frontier Aerospace was founded in 2021 in Seattle, Washington. It develops advanced aerospace technology of several classes and major components for it. At the same time, the company seeks new technologies and solutions to improve the technical and other characteristics of its products.
Already in 2021, NFA began developing the promising liquid jet engine Mjölnir. This project used several new technologies, due to which they wanted to improve environmental and other parameters.
In August 2021, the Pentagon awarded NFA an order to develop a new liquid-propellant rocket engine under the National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC) program. The design and a number of related activities were estimated at $750. New contracts and additional funding were expected in the future to carry out the next stages of the project.
General view of the product
Work on the first contract took about a year. Already in mid-2022, NFA conducted bench tests of key engine components. It was possible to confirm the calculated characteristics and demonstrate the potential of the main design solutions. All this became a reason for optimistic forecasts.
Following the initial tests, NFA received a new order for $1,5 million to complete the engine development and conduct extensive testing. At that time, it was expected that these activities would be completed by mid-2024.
For a number of reasons, it was not possible to meet these deadlines. The new stage of bench tests of a full-fledged engine began only in 2024. Its completion was reported a few days ago, in June 2025. Despite being significantly behind schedule, the tests were successful. The experimental Mjölnir liquid-propellant rocket engine confirmed all the calculated characteristics.
Plans for the future
In the near future, NFA plans to prepare a production line and bring Mjolnir to market. Various organizations in the rocket and space industry interested in receiving modern engines with high technical and other characteristics are considered as potential customers.
In addition, NFA will use Mjölnir in its own aerospace engineering projects. To date, it has launched the development of two such projects. The first of them is called Pathfinder and involves the construction of a hypersonic aircraft for military and civilian purposes. The second project is the Bifröst spacecraft.
Design concept of a hypersonic aircraft powered by Mjölnir engines
In the near future, NFA is going to build an experimental hypersonic UAV Pathfinder with a new liquid-propellant rocket engine. Flight tests should start at the beginning of next year, 2026. How long they will last, and whether it will be possible to achieve all the desired results, is still unknown.
In parallel, the Bifröst apparatus will be built. Its first flight into orbit is planned for 2027. How the launch and subsequent flight will be organized has not yet been specified. The possible dates for the start of full-scale operation are also in question.
Technical features
The Mjölnir product is a small liquid rocket engine designed for use on various aircraft or space technology. Due to its limited thrust characteristics, it is not planned to be used on launch vehicles.
Mjolnir is built using a closed system with full gasification of components. In such a system, liquid fuel and oxidizer enter the gas generator, where they burn and provide energy for turbopump units. Then the gaseous products are sent to the combustion chamber for afterburning. This system allows for maximum use of fuel energy and, due to this, improved thrust.
Various technologies are used in the manufacture of the engine. In particular, a number of key units are made using 3D printing. This technology simplifies the manufacture of parts of complex configurations and removes the limitations associated with other production methods.
Bifröst spacecraft
The NFA engine runs on liquefied methane and liquid oxygen. The fuel source can be natural gas or biowaste. In the latter case, with the correct organization of technological processes, the Mjölnir LRE has a negative carbon footprint. The engine becomes safe or even beneficial for the environment.
The engine design allows for control of thrust. Simplified stop and start procedures are also claimed. At the same time, Mjölnir is reusable and after the necessary maintenance can be used to perform the next flight.
Unfortunately, the developer company has not yet disclosed the technical characteristics of the new engine. However, it should be expected that this information will be published in the very near future - it will help promote the product on the market.
Engine platforms
The technical potential of the Mjolnir engine can be understood from the example of other NFA projects. They plan to use this type of liquid-propellant rocket engine, which is expected to provide high technical and operational characteristics.
For example, based on the technologies of the current Pathfinder project, they want to create a full-size passenger hypersonic aircraft in the future. This will be a "flying wing" about 41 m long, capable of carrying 100 passengers. It will be equipped with a set of an unknown number of Mjölnir engines. Takeoff and landing will be vertical, and in horizontal flight the device will be able to reach a speed of 8 M.
Bifröst in lander configuration
In turn, the Bifrost project proposes a spacecraft equipped with a single Mjölnir liquid-propellant rocket engine. It will be able to launch up to 3 pounds (1362 kg) of cargo into low Earth orbit. It will also send 400 pounds (181 kg) into geostationary orbit or half that amount to the Moon. For more complex interplanetary missions, the payload will be 110 pounds (50 kg).
The developer company believes that its new engine can also find application in interplanetary station projects. In this case, Mjolnir can be used both for acceleration of devices and directly on the descent equipment. At the same time, reusable liquid-propellant rocket engines will not only deliver the station to the target, but can also return it to Earth.
Development trends
The promising Mjölnir liquid-propellant rocket engine has passed bench tests and demonstrated the required level of performance. Now the developer company is going to complete work on related projects and bring aircraft and spacecraft with such an engine to testing. The first flights are planned for 2026-27.
The success of Mjolnir is noteworthy and reveals several interesting trends. First of all, this project shows that modern liquid-propellant rocket engines can be created not only by large organizations and industry leaders. Developing an engine, even with limited characteristics, is quite feasible for small companies. At the same time, NFA was able to work out a fairly complex scheme and introduce new production methods.
NFA has completed the development and production of a prototype engine. Now it needs to set up full-scale production of Mjolnirs and implement them into practice. Whether this will be successful and how long it will take is still unknown.
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