Latitude's Navier engine — an oxygen-rich staged combustion (ORSC) LOX/methane engine powering the Zephyr small launch vehicle first stage.
Navier LOX/Methane Engine
Latitude's Navier engine — an oxygen-rich staged combustion (ORSC) LOX/methane engine powering the Zephyr small launch vehicle first stage.
Description
Navier is Latitude's proprietary LOX/liquid methane rocket engine using an oxygen-rich staged combustion (ORSC) cycle — one of the most thermodynamically efficient engine cycles available. ORSC engines pre-burn oxygen-rich gas to drive the turbopump, then inject this hot oxygen-rich gas into the main combustion chamber for full combustion. Russian rocket engines (RD-180, RD-170) pioneered ORSC; Western adoption has been limited due to the metallurgical challenge of designing turbomachinery that handles hot, high-pressure oxygen-rich gas without burning up.
Latitude (formerly Sirius Space, formerly SurfieCo) chose ORSC specifically for its high performance (Isp advantage over gas generator engines), clean combustion with methane (enabling reuse), and because modern additive manufacturing allows the complex ORSC turbomachinery to be fabricated more reliably than in the past. Navier powers the Zephyr rocket's first stage, targeting approximately 100 kg to SSO.
Latitude is headquartered in Reims, France (in the Champagne-Ardenne region), founded in 2019. The company has received grants from CNES (French space agency) and BPI France, and conducted multiple Navier engine tests. Latitude targets launch from a European spaceport, potentially Guiana Space Centre.
Specifications
| Propellants | LOX/Liquid Methane |
|---|---|
| Engine cycle | Oxygen-Rich Staged Combustion (ORSC) |
| Application | Zephyr first stage (~100 kg to SSO) |
| Advantage | High Isp, clean methane combustion, reusability-friendly |
| Heritage cycle | Same cycle as Russian RD-180/RD-170 (adapted for methane) |
| Manufacturing | Additive manufacturing for complex ORSC turbomachinery |
| Founded | 2019, Reims, France |
