Aurora Avionics has signed a £525,000 agreement with Barcelona-based Pangea Propulsion, under which the Edinburgh firm will supply avionics systems for its rocket engine.

The Spanish company is developing an aerospike engine, a long-theorised design often described as the 'holy grail' of rocket propulsion. Unlike conventional engines, which only work best at certain altitudes, aerospikes adjust automatically, making them more efficient.

Pangea is the first company in the world to fire an aerospike engine using methane and oxygen propellants, and its flagship ARCOS engine is on track to become the first flight-ready reusable aerospike.

Pangea Propulsion chief executive Adrià Argemí said: “We had a competitive process for our avionics contract and we were impressed by the customer-first f

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