Muscat-based startup Rocket Elements and Technologies (RE&T) has introduced Khanjar-1, a reusable liquid-fuelled rocket engine it markets as Oman’s first of its kind. The announcement was made on October 6 during the Oman Space Conference, where the company outlined its plans to advance local space propulsion capabilities and support commercial and government space programs with limited access to propulsion technology.
Founded in August 2025, RE&T aims to manufacture and test the engine entirely within Oman and is currently in the process of raising capital to build a dedicated engine-testing facility in the country. The CEO and founder, Mohammed al Alawi, emphasized the company’s focus on delivering essential technology “starting with the core” propulsion component.
Khanjar-1 is designed to produce 150 kilonewtons of thrust, equivalent to about 15 tonnes-force, using liquid oxygen and liquid methane as propellants. The engine has a mass of 200 kilograms and achieves a vacuum specific impulse greater than 325 seconds. It is built for reuse across up to 10 flights, with production costs targeted below $1 million per unit and manufacturing time of less than one month once fully operational.
Al Alawi highlighted that rocket engines typically account for up to half the cost of a launch vehicle, yet propulsion technology remains tightly controlled due to commercial sensitivity, leading to high development costs and supply chain fragility for emerging space programs. RE&T is developing Khanjar-1 in partnership with VENG, an Argentine company with over 18 years of experience in rocket propulsion and contractor to Argentina’s space agency. This collaboration includes a technology transfer agreement, with design, manufacturing, and testing activities centered in Oman.
The company projects that Khanjar-1 could reduce engine manufacturing costs by more than half and cut engine expenses per flight by up to 90 percent through reusability. RE&T also estimates that integrating Khanjar-1 on a reusable first stage could lower overall launch costs by as much as 50 percent.
In comparisons presented at the conference, RE&T positioned Khanjar-1 as a competitive alternative to Rocket Lab’s Rutherford engine, highlighting that while Rutherford is tied to a single launch provider, Khanjar-1 would be available to multiple manufacturers. According to RE&T, two Khanjar-1 engines could replace those on an Electron rocket at approximately one-seventh the propulsion cost per flight. The company aims to complete approval processes for engine sales within one month.
Al Alawi noted that several space agencies and two commercial companies have expressed interest in Khanjar-1, with discussions underway to formalize letters of interest as a preliminary step toward technical collaboration.
Earlier this year, RE&T won the national Oman Space Accelerator Programme (OSAP), securing funding support from Future Fund Oman to advance its development efforts. The company’s announcement marks a significant step in Oman’s growing ambitions to develop indigenous space technologies and foster a domestic space industry.