Bristows acted as UK counsel to Boeing HorizonX Ventures on its first UK investment. This was an investment into Reaction Engines an Oxfordshire-based company, partially funded by a £60m funding commitment from the UK Government (via the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency) which is developing the technologies needed for a new class of innovative hypersonic propulsion system: the Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE).
SABRE is a hybrid air-breathing rocket engine that Reaction Engines estimates will be able to power an aircraft from a standing start to over five times the speed of sound for hypersonic flight in the atmosphere, and over 25 times the speed of sound for space access. This fascinating, and potentially transformative, technology has received widespread press coverage and captured the public imagination and we are excited to have played a role in the growth of this dynamic company.
The Bristows Corporate team involved in the transaction were:
- Partner, Marek Petecki
- Associate, Tom Clarke