The engine, dubbed DHX-200 Aurora, produces an peak thrust of 11 kN, enough to lift a small car. It runs on nitrous oxide as oxidizer and a mixture of sorbitol (coffee sweetener), paraffin (candle wax) and aluminium as fuel. The engine will run for a total of 23 seconds at an average thrust of 8 kN, delivering around 180 kNs of total impulse. A total of 85 kg of propellant is consumed during the launch.
The hybrid rocket engine has been ground tested fourteen times at the facilities of TNO Rijswijk in the Netherlands and DLR Trauen in Germany.