From heating homes and businesses to launching rockets: Orbex to use Calor BioLPG for Prime launch

Forres, UK, December 2, 2021 – Orbex and Calor have entered into an agreement that will see the iconic UK gas company supply the ultra-low carbon fuel that will launch the Orbex Prime rocket.

Under the terms of the new deal, Calor will supply Orbex with its BioLPG solution, a clean-burning propane produced from renewable feedstocks such as plant and vegetable waste material. This reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 80 per cent compared to sourcing conventional liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from fossil sources.

Calor will also install BioLPG tanks and related infrastructure at the Orbex Launchpad Test Platform (LTP) facility currently being constructed at a dedicated test site close to the Orbex headquarters in Forres, Scotland. The test site is expected to be fully operational by early 2022, paving the way for Orbex to launch Prime from Spaceport Sutherland in the North of Scotland later in the year.

The use of Calor’s BioLPG instead of conventional rocket fuels such as refined fossil kerosene products like Rocket Propellent-1 (RP-1) is a key element in Orbex’s mission to make Prime the world’s most environmentally friendly space rocket. A recent study by the University of Exeter found that a single Orbex Prime launch would produce up to 96 per cent lower emissions than a similar-sized launch vehicle powered by fossil fuels – the result of almost entirely eliminating black carbon emissions.

Chris Larmour, CEO of Orbex:

“Environmental sustainability is built into the heart of Prime and we are proud to be the first commercial orbital space launch company to use a renewable, carbon-friendly fuel. The partnership with Calor – one of the UK’s most well-known brands – to use its BioLPG solution is an important step on our mission to develop a fully sustainable solution that avoids the massive carbon emissions profiles of old-fashioned fossil fuelled launches still being deployed by many rocket companies today."

Alastair Lovell, Head of Sustainable Fuels at Calor:

“Calor is delighted to partner with Orbex in such an exciting project as orbital space launch. Orbex is clearly leading the industry with sustainable solutions in the same way that Calor is leading the way in providing low carbon energy solutions for off-grid customers. This partnership demonstrates our shared values of reducing carbon emissions and we are proud to be able to supply BioLPG to achieve this goal.”

About Orbex

Orbex is a UK-based spaceflight company with headquarters, production and testing facilities in Scotland, and design and testing facilities in Denmark. Orbex staff members have professional backgrounds with NASA, ESA, Ariane and several commercial spaceflight organisations. The company is now funded by two of the UK’s largest and most active venture capital funds, BGF and Octopus Ventures, who join two of Europe's largest venture capital funds, Heartcore Capital and the High-Tech Gründerfonds, as well as strategic investor Elecnor, parent company of Deimos Space, the UK Space Agency (UKSA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission Horizon 2020 programme.

About Calor

Trusted by rural homes and businesses for over 85 years, Calor is one of Britain’s best-loved brands. As the UK’s leading supplier of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and its renewable alternative, BioLPG, Calor provides its customers with all the simplicity and convenience of mains gas.

With two of Europe’s largest LPG storage terminals, over 680 vehicles on the road and a specialist team of engineers who provide 24/7 emergency cover, its rural customers aren’t off grid, they’re on Calor’s grid.

Committed to decarbonising energy in rural Britain, Calor has pledged to offer 100% renewable energy solutions to all its customers by 2040. Offering BioLPG, a renewable gas made from a blend of waste, residues and sustainably sourced materials, to its home energy and forklift truck customers, Calor has made a significant step towards this 2040 ambition.

To find out more about Calor and its energy solutions, please visit www.calor.co.uk

Orbex Media Enquiries
Sonus PR for Orbex
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