Reaction Dynamics
Reaction Dynamics is a Canadian aerospace company developing hybrid rocket engines and the Aurora small-satellite launch vehicle.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Reaction Dynamics is a Canadian aerospace company headquartered in Longueuil, Quebec, and focused on hybrid rocket propulsion and small satellite launch services. Founded in 2017 by aerospace engineer Bachar Elzein, the company was established to develop a comparatively low-cost launch system using hybrid propulsion, a configuration that combines a liquid oxidizer with a solid fuel grain. Its work is aimed at the small-launch market, where operators and satellite developers seek dedicated or responsive access to low Earth orbit for payloads that may not fit the schedules or economics of larger launch vehicles. The company’s principal vehicle is Aurora, a two-stage light launch vehicle under development. Aurora is designed to carry payloads in the approximate range of 50 to 150 kilograms to a 500-kilometre low Earth orbit. The vehicle is planned to use hybrid engines on both stages: the first stage is described as having eight engines, while the second stage uses a single engine with a vacuum-optimized nozzle. The launcher is approximately 18 metres tall and 1.8 metres in diameter, with a payload fairing intended for small spacecraft. Reaction Dynamics has planned a progression of suborbital tests before attempting an orbital mission, with the first suborbital flight planned for 2025 and an orbital flight targeted for 2028. Propulsion development is central to the company’s identity. Reaction Dynamics has worked on several engine families, including the RE 101 and RE 102 test and suborbital-development platforms and the larger RE 201 and RE 202 engines intended for orbital-class applications. The company has explored solid-fuel formulations incorporating recycled polymer materials and has used metal additive manufacturing for selected engine components. Testing began at small scale in 2018 at a decommissioned mine near Saint-Joseph-de-Coleraine in Quebec. Larger engine tests have been conducted since 2020, including work on RE 201 and RE 202. A March 2024 RE 202 firing reportedly lasted approximately 12 seconds, while an RE 101 test using a regeneratively cooled nozzle reached a 30-second burn in December 2023. Reaction Dynamics has received research and development support from the Canadian Space Agency through its Space Technology Development Program. A CAD 1.5 million contribution awarded in 2020 was identified as the company’s largest such grant in the cited material. Also in 2020, the company completed a CAD 5 million financing round intended to support the acquisition of industrial equipment for rocket manufacturing facilities. These figures describe historical funding events rather than current valuation or revenue. The company has also pursued commercial and launch-infrastructure partnerships. In May 2022, its chief executive said that Reaction Dynamics had obtained letters of intent from roughly a dozen potential customers in Canada, the United States, and Europe, with the potential value of the associated contracts approaching CAD 500 million. That same month, Reaction Dynamics signed an agreement with Maritime Launch Services covering suborbital and orbital launches from the planned Canso Spaceport in Nova Scotia. The agreement connected the company’s vehicle-development program with a proposed Canadian launch site, while the technical, regulatory, and schedule milestones required for operational launches remained under development. Reaction Dynamics remains an active development-stage aerospace brand rather than an established orbital launch operator. Its public profile is associated with Canadian launch-vehicle development, hybrid propulsion, recycled-material fuel research, additive manufacturing, and efforts to build a domestic commercial space-launch capability.
History
Reaction Dynamics was founded in 2017 in Montreal by aerospace engineer Bachar Elzein. Its initial objective was to create a low-cost rocket system based on hybrid propulsion. In this architecture, a liquid oxidizer is combined with a solid fuel grain. The approach can offer operational and manufacturing characteristics distinct from those of fully liquid or fully solid rockets, and Reaction Dynamics adopted it as the technical foundation for a small-launch vehicle intended for the growing small-satellite market. The company’s propulsion program began with small-scale engine firing tests in 2018 at a decommissioned mine in Saint-Joseph-de-Coleraine near Thetford Mines, Quebec. The site provided a location for static testing while the company developed its proprietary solid hybrid fuel and related engine systems. Reaction Dynamics also investigated the use of recycled polymer materials in its solid fuel formulations and metal additive manufacturing for engine components. In 2020, the company expanded its development activity through both public support and private financing. The Canadian Space Agency provided a CAD 1.5 million research and development contribution through its Space Technology Development Program. During the same year, Reaction Dynamics completed a CAD 5 million funding round to acquire industrial equipment for its rocket-manufacturing facilities. Since 2020, testing has increasingly focused on the larger RE 201 and RE 202 engines, which are associated with the company’s orbital-class propulsion work. The company’s main launch-vehicle project is Aurora, a two-stage light launcher intended to place payloads weighing approximately 50 to 150 kilograms into a 500-kilometre low Earth orbit. The vehicle is designed to be about 18 metres tall and 1.8 metres in diameter. Its first stage is planned to use eight hybrid engines, each producing approximately 34 kilonewtons of thrust at liftoff, while the second stage is planned to use one hybrid engine with a vacuum-optimized nozzle. The vehicle’s payload fairing is described as approximately 2.5 metres high and 1.3 metres in diameter. Reaction Dynamics has planned suborbital missions as an intermediate step toward orbital operations. These flights are intended to validate flight hardware, launch procedures, and ground systems, as well as to support the licensing work required for an orbital launch attempt. The first suborbital flight was planned for 2025, with an orbital flight target of 2028. These were development targets rather than completed-flight dates in the cited material. The propulsion portfolio includes the RE 101 test platform, the related RE 102 engine under development for the suborbital Aurora vehicle, and the larger RE 201 and RE 202 orbital-class variants. The RE 101 was created primarily to test the company’s hybrid fuel and propulsion concepts and is used for static ground tests. Reaction Dynamics reported an internal record of six RE 101 firings in one day. The company also pursued regeneratively cooled nozzles to reduce erosion. In December 2023, it reported a 30-second firing of an RE 101 fitted with such a nozzle. In March 2024, the company reported an approximately 12-second firing of an RE 202 engine. Commercial development became more visible in 2022. In May of that year, Elzein stated that the company had secured letters of intent from approximately twelve prospective customers in Canada, the United States, and Europe, with potential contract value approaching CAD 500 million. Later that month, Reaction Dynamics signed an agreement with Canadian launch provider Maritime Launch Services for suborbital and orbital launches from the Canso Spaceport in Nova Scotia. The agreement linked Aurora’s planned missions to a proposed Canadian launch facility. Reaction Dynamics is therefore best characterized as an active, development-stage Canadian aerospace company. Its identity rests on hybrid rocket propulsion, small launch vehicles, and the prospective creation of a domestic commercial launch capability. The cited material does not establish that Aurora has completed an orbital flight or that the company is operating a routine commercial launch service.
- 2024
RE 202 test firing
[1]The company reported an approximately 12-second firing of the RE 202 orbital-class hybrid engine.
- 2023
Regeneratively cooled RE 101 test
[1]An RE 101 engine fitted with a regeneratively cooled nozzle completed a reported 30-second firing.
- 2022
Launch agreement with Maritime Launch Services
[1]Reaction Dynamics agreed to pursue suborbital and orbital launches from the Canso Spaceport in Nova Scotia.
- 2020
Canadian Space Agency contribution
[1]Reaction Dynamics received a CAD 1.5 million research and development contribution through the Canadian Space Agency’s Space Technology Development Program.
- 2020
CAD 5 million financing round
[1]The company completed a financing round to acquire equipment for rocket manufacturing facilities.
- 2018
Small-scale engine testing begins
[1]The company began small-scale hybrid engine firing tests at a decommissioned mine near Saint-Joseph-de-Coleraine, Quebec.
- 2017
Company founded
[1]Bachar Elzein founded Reaction Dynamics in Montreal to develop low-cost hybrid rocket propulsion and launch systems.
Products and positioning
A Canadian development-stage aerospace company positioned around lower-cost hybrid propulsion and dedicated launch services for small satellite payloads.
Small satellite launch vehicle
Aurora
Aurora is a two-stage light launch vehicle under development for payloads of approximately 50 to 150 kilograms destined for a 500-kilometre low Earth orbit. Both stages are designed to use hybrid rocket engines. The first stage is planned to have eight engines, while the second stage uses one vacuum-optimized engine. The vehicle is approximately 18 metres tall and 1.8 metres in diameter, with a payload fairing measuring about 2.5 metres in height and 1.3 metres in diameter. Suborbital test flights were planned before an orbital attempt.
Hybrid rocket engine
RE 201
RE 201 is one of the larger hybrid rocket engine variants being developed for Reaction Dynamics’ orbital-class propulsion program. The engine family combines a liquid oxidizer with solid fuel and is intended to support the Aurora launch vehicle. The company has conducted larger-scale testing of the RE 201 and related RE 202 systems since 2020.
Hybrid rocket engine
RE 202
RE 202 is an orbital-class hybrid engine under development for Reaction Dynamics’ launch-vehicle program. It uses the company’s hybrid propulsion approach and incorporates technologies associated with its fuel and manufacturing research. A March 2024 test firing reportedly achieved a burn duration of approximately 12 seconds.
Static-test hybrid rocket engine
RE 101
RE 101 is a smaller hybrid engine platform used primarily for static ground testing of Reaction Dynamics’ proprietary solid hybrid fuel and propulsion technologies. The company reported conducting six firings with the platform in a single day. The program also supports development of regeneratively cooled nozzles intended to reduce erosion and improve engine efficiency.
Suborbital hybrid rocket engine
RE 102
RE 102 is derived from the RE 101 architecture and is intended for the suborbital version of the Aurora vehicle. It is expected to be lighter and more compact than the RE 101. The engine remained under development in the cited material.
Brand decisions
2022
Link Aurora missions to Canso SpaceportStrategyBackground
Reaction Dynamics required a prospective launch site for planned suborbital and orbital Aurora missions.
Action taken
The company signed an agreement with Maritime Launch Services to conduct suborbital and orbital launches from the Canso Spaceport in Nova Scotia.
Aftermath
The agreement established a planned launch-infrastructure relationship, while the vehicle, site, regulatory approvals, and mission schedule remained under development.
2020
Fund rocket manufacturing capabilityStrategyBackground
Reaction Dynamics needed industrial capacity to advance its hybrid-engine and launch-vehicle program.
Action taken
The company completed a CAD 5 million financing round earmarked for industrial equipment for rocket manufacturing facilities.
Aftermath
The financing supported the company’s manufacturing and propulsion-development infrastructure; the cited material does not provide later financial or operational results.
Financing round. CAD 5 million (2020)
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