[nicktelford]

Yeah, the British space industry has struggled; principally with investment. Reaction Engines largely went under because they ran out of money and their investors declined to put more money in.

My hope with Pulsar Fusion is that their existing thruster business provides the necessary revenue to both keep them solvent, and attract continued investment, until they're able to get their Fusion Drive off the ground.

[JumpCrisscross]

I remember when Reaction turned down relocating to America in favour of some minor support from London. It was around 2014 and we all figured it was D. O. A.

[PaulHoule]

Frankly it seemed like an idea that made no sense for multiple reasons. For one thing the density of atmospheric oxygen is a fraction of the density of liquid oxygen so it's hard to picture getting enough oxygen in the thing to make a difference. If you're liquifying it you're going to slow your rocket down by bringing O2 as well as 4 times as much N2 on board, then there is the weight of the liquification plant. Investing in Skylon is like investing in cold fusion.

It was bad enough that Richard Branson discredited private orbital spaceflight with the overly long development process for a vehicle that made the Space Shuttle look like a paragon of safety and low costs -- Skylon was so much worse.

[pfdietz]

Henry Spencer on air breathing launchers (New Scientist, 2009):

https://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/03...

'Trying to build a spaceship by making aeroplane fly faster and higher is like trying to build an aeroplane by making locomotives faster and lighter - with a lot of effort, perhaps you could get something that more or less works, but it really isn't the right way to proceed. The problems are fundamentally different, and so are the best solutions.

As Mitch Burnside Clapp, former US Air Force test pilot and designer of innovative launcher concepts, once commented: "Air breathing is a privilege that should be reserved for the crew".'