A long dormant, Cold War-era outpost close to the Mull of Kintyre is being transformed into a high-tech centre for rocket testing and teaching.

Backed by close to £500,000 in funding, the new facility, called MachLab, sits on the site of the former RAF Machrahanish airbase, and will now be home to researchers developing rocket engines capable of delivering up to one tonne of thrust.

Built to support the advancement of rocket technology, researchers from academia and industry will be able to fire experimental rocket designs and gather data on their performance using MachLab’s custom-built test stand.

Specialists from the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering partnered with space technology firm Exotopic to design and build the MachLab facility, with the rocket test stand in MachLab’s fortified lab allowing researchers to fire prototype rockets while they remain safely locked down and stationary.

Originally built in the late 1980s, the revamped facility has already hosted an initial test-fire of new 3D-printed rocket engines with an advanced cooling system, designed by Glasgow PhD students and supported by funding from the UK Space Agency.

MachLab’s specialist data-collection equipment provides these researchers with detailed readings of temperature, propellant consumption, chamber pressure, and other metrics to help them understand and refine their designs.

In the future, MachLab could aid in the development of rocket engines using solid, liquid and cryogenic propellants designed to carry payloads deep into space.

“MachLab has been two years in the making, with all the systems required to operate a liquid bipropellant rocket engine being created from the ground up,” said Dr Krzysztof Bzdyk, one of the project leads.

“We’re excited to be ready to start making our mark in rocket research, development and teaching in Scotland.”   

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It’s hoped that MachLab will help establish the UK’s next generation of rocket engineers through specialist training, including a University of Glasgow-led programme called Rocketry Research Teaching Training, or R2T2. 

The programme, also funded by the UK Space Agency, will bring rocketry students from all over the UK to MachLab to develop their skills and test new rocket designs. 

“Facilities like MachLab strengthen our launch ecosystem, helping build the skills, infrastructure and innovation needed for a resilient UK launch capability,” said Matt Archer, director of launch at the UK Space Agency. 

“By supporting rocket engine testing and inspiring future engineers, it lays the groundwork for the UK to lead in launch.”