Hybrid Engines, the future of propulsion
- Aidan Arnold
- Jul 13, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 14, 2025
This summer, I was fortunate enough to secure an exciting internship at Equatorial Space. It is a local Singapore based Aerospace firm. It has been an amazing experience so far, much more real than any summer camp. What makes Equatorial Space stand out? They specialise in groundbreaking hybrid rocket engine designs. For example: the Volans, Spark and Dorado.
What exactly is hybrid fuel and why is it important? It is the only real innovation in the currently primitive world of propulsion in decades. It is going to be a game changer. In the vast majority of current and modern rockets the propellant, that is the material fuel, is a flammable liquid or gas which is burnt to produce an upward thrust. As they are essentially giant bombs strapped to the side of the maiden voyage, if they are mishandled, they can often end in disaster. How does a hybrid engine solve this? Instead of storing highly flammable fuel, the propellant and its respective oxidiser are stored separately from one another. This eliminates the risk of explosion, as they only pose a danger when combined, and are inert when separated. 
The idea for a design like this has existed since the 1930s. In saying that, only now with better technology and an ever-so-hungry desire for space travel has Equatorial Space and similar firms decided to pursue it. This is a major innovation in rocket technology, as it eliminates one of the biggest risks associated with space travel. It is hard to believe that for centuries the only method for getting a tube into space was slowly exploding bombs the size of school buses. With hybrid fuel/oxidiser combustors, we are finally seeing a significant change in this age-old technology. This is the future!
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