Hybrid Engine Development - HyEnD e.V.

What Hybrid Engine Development - HyEnD e.V. does

HyEnD e.V. is a non-profit registered student association (eingetragener Verein) based at the University of Stuttgart's Institute of Space Systems, founded in 2006 as a DGLR youth project and active in experimental rocketry since 2014. The organization designs, manufactures, tests, and launches high-altitude sounding rockets, with a technology core centered on hybrid rocket propulsion that combines solid fuel grains (HTPB-based or paraffin) with liquid oxidizers (nitrous oxide, with prior liquid oxygen work). In-house-developed propulsion includes the HyReS engine (over 10 kN), the subscale HyFIVE (800 N), and the HyLIGHT flight engine (up to 15 kN, 224 s sea-level Isp, 267 kNs qualified impulse). Supporting subsystems include a Type V liner-less filament-wound CFRP oxidizer tank, self-developed pyro valves, a hemisflo-ribbon supersonic drogue parachute, and a redundant dual-duplex flight computer architecture (with the new S2OUTH computer from WüSpace integrated in N2ORTH-3). The portfolio spans the N2ORTH family (HEROS, Compass, EXPLORE, MIRAS), the HyDRA sounding rocket, the CanSat Launcher, and the active BLAST/Lumina liquid-rocket project.

HyEnD does not sell commercial products or services; membership is free for University of Stuttgart students and revenue inflows come from public grants, corporate sponsorships, and donations. The primary funding vehicle is the DLR STERN program (financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy), which supports student rocket teams developing suborbital demonstrators. Secondary revenue streams include in-kind and financial support from industrial sponsors (TRUMPF, CERATIZIT, HPTEC, HyImpulse, TANIQ, WIKA, Swagelok, Kistler, STMicroelectronics, SEGGER, WüSpace) and public donations accepted via PayPal. Launch and test operations are conducted at DLR Lampoldshausen test benches, Esrange Space Center in Sweden, the Heuberg military training area, Manching in Germany, and at the European Rocketry Challenge in Portugal.

The organization is governed by a board of student members (Laurence Hoffelder, Maximilian Dinnebier, Benjamin Peter) and structured into discipline chiefs across propulsion, structures and aerodynamics, avionics, recovery, fluid systems, and ground support equipment. Recorded milestones include the 2016 HEROS 3 altitude record of 32.3 km, the April 2023 N2ORTH apogee of 64.4 km (world record for student-built hybrid rockets), and 1st place in the liquid category plus 2nd overall at EuRoC 2025 with the Lumina rocket. Current active programs are BLAST (liquid propulsion) and N2ORTH-3, the latter intended to become the first European student rocket to reach space above 100 km altitude using a hybrid engine.

Name

Hybrid Engine Development - HyEnD e.V.

Legal name

HyEnD e.V.

Website

https://hyend.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HyEnD e.V. is a non-profit student rocketry association at the University of Stuttgart that designs, builds, and launches experimental hybrid and liquid sounding rockets, funded primarily through the DLR STERN program, industrial sponsors, and donations, and serves as a hands-on aerospace engineering training platform for university students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Rocketry / Experimental Aerospace Engineering

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)

akta.pro primary industry

Hybrid Rocket Engines (IMABADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rocket Motors, Propellants & Warhead Integration (IMABAHAC), Launch Vehicles & Orbital Rockets (IMABACAA)

Keywords

• Student rocketry
• Hybrid rocket engines
• Sounding rockets
• Rocket propulsion
• Experimental rocketry

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. DLR STERN Program Funding: Primary funding from German Aerospace Center (DLR) STERN program which finances student rocket projects. Funds come from BMWi (Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy).
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Support from industrial partners including TRUMPF, CERATIZIT, HPTEC, HyImpulse, TANIQ, WIKA, Swagelok, Kistler, and others providing materials, components, and financial support.
3. Donations: Accepts donations through PayPal to finance launch campaigns and projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HyEnD e.V. is a non-profit student rocketry team at the University of Stuttgart that designs, manufactures, tests, and launches experimental hybrid and liquid sounding rockets. Their deliverables include complete rocket systems (airframes, propulsion, avionics, recovery, ground support equipment) and record-breaking flight campaigns; the work is conducted by an interdisciplinary student team for educational, competition, and aerospace research purposes.

Product overview

HyEnD e.V. is a student rocketry team at the University of Stuttgart developing hybrid and liquid rocket technology. Their product portfolio centers on sounding rockets designed for high-altitude flight and record-breaking achievements. The core offerings include the N₂ORTH rocket family (including N₂ORTH-3), the BLAST/Lumina liquid rocket project, and the HEROS rocket series. Key propulsion products include the HyLIGHT (15 kN), HyFIVE (800 N), and HyRES rocket engines, all using hybrid propulsion with nitrous oxide or liquid oxygen oxidizers and HTPB/paraffin fuels. Supporting infrastructure includes custom Ground Support Equipment for launch operations. The rockets feature in-house developed avionics (including WüSpace S2OUTH flight computers), composite pressure vessels, and recovery systems. HyEnD also produces demonstrator rockets (Compass, MIRAS, EXPLORE, HyDRA) for technology validation and training purposes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HyLIGHT: Hybrid rocket engine family providing up to 15kN thrust, used in the N2ORTH rocket. Features CFRP combustion chamber and HTPB-based fuel.
• HyFIVE
• HyRES
• N2ORTH
• HEROS
• Compass
• Lumina
• HyDRA
• BLAST

Products and services

• N2ORTH-3 Hybrid Sounding Rocket

Quantifiable outcome

• 64.4 km altitude achieved with N2ORTH rocket, nearly doubling previous student hybrid rocket record
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• DLR (German Aerospace Center)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2019Primary funding and program partner through STERN program. DLR provides launch site access at Esrange, test facilities at Lampoldshausen, expert reviewers, and financing from BMWi for student rocket development projects.
• The Aerospace LÄNDmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState initiative supporting aerospace innovation in Baden-Württemberg
• TÜV SÜD StiftungmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation supporting HyEnD's mission and projects
• University of Stuttgart - Institute of Space Systems (IRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution providing facilities, meeting space, and academic support for HyEnD operations
• MPA StuttgartmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaterial testing institute providing testing facilities and filament winding capabilities for composite structures
• Swedish Space Corporation (SSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides Esrange launch site access, launch operations support, and safety/operations team coordination for rocket launches in Sweden
• DLR Institute of Space Propulsion (Lampoldshausen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides test bench M11/M11.5 for engine hot fire tests; over 60 hot fires conducted since September 2020
• TRUMPFminorOthersIndustrial partner providing manufacturing support and equipment
• CERATIZIT GroupminorOthersCutting tools and manufacturing solutions provider
• HyImpulsemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHybrid rocket technology company, collaboration on hybrid propulsion development
• TANIQmajorTechnology or IntegrationProvides TANIQWind Pro filament winding software used for manufacturing composite structures and pressure vessels
• WIKAminorOthersPressure and temperature measurement instrumentation provider
• SwagelokminorOthersFluid system components and fittings supplier
• KistlerminorOthersDynamic measurement technology and sensors provider
• WüSpacemajorTechnology or IntegrationDeveloped S2OUTH flight computer used in N2ORTH-3 for telemetry, video transmission, and data preservation
• KSat StuttgartmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent group collaborating on CanSat Launcher project and providing CanSat payloads
• WARRminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWissenschaftliche Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Antriebstechnik und Reaktortechnik - student rocket group
• ROCKITminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent rocket group from Aachen, part of student rocketry network

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/rocketman0815
• Facebookfacebook.com/Hybridtriebwerk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hyend
• Instagraminstagram.com/hyend_uni_stuttgart
• TikToktiktok.com/@hyend_uni_stuttgart

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hybrid Engine Development - HyEnD e.V.