Bloodhound Land Speed Record Car piloted by Hartlepool man announces carbon-free rocket plans

The Bloodhound Land Speed Record (LSR) car, driven by Andy Green, whose father Tony Green was station officer at Hartlepool Fire Station in the 1970s, recently achieved a new top speed of 628mph (1010km) in South Africa.

Engineers have revealed plans to challenge for the world land speed record using a zero-emissions rocket.

Powered by concentrated hydrogen peroxide, the rocket will be used alongside the world’s best jet-fighter engine when the Bloodhound attempts to go faster than 800mph in South Africa late next year.

The team say a compact, zero-emissions rocket designed to be used as a launch motor to put small satellites into space is ideal for the car.

They are also exploring the possibility of running the Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine on bio-fuel, further reducing the environmental impact of operating the car.

Following Bloodhound’s successful high-speed testing programme in the Kalahari Desert in November, the vehicle has now returned to its HQ in Gloucestershire, to be prepared for the next phase of the project.

Ian Warhurst, CEO of Bloodhound LSR said: “This is an extraordinary story of technology and human endeavour that will stand the test of time and the record we set may never be beaten.

“I’m also pleased that we are now able to bring many new, more environmentally-relevant technologies into the design of the project. To inspire future generations of engineers, we need to be doing this with relevant technologies.”