Rocket engine with integrated oxidizer catalyst in manifold and injector assembly

A rocket engine comprising:

• a combustion chamber having a chamber wall extending around a longitudinal axis, the chamber wall facing the longitudinal axis, the combustion chamber containing a solid fuel, the combustion chamber defining a volume extending axially from an axial end face of the solid fuel to a chamber outlet, the axial end face of the solid fuel being exposed to the volume;
• a nozzle in fluid flow communication with the combustion chamber for expelling combustion gases;
• a manifold being annular and extending circumferentially around the longitudinal axis, the manifold having a manifold inlet fluidly connectable to a source of an oxidizer and a manifold outlet;
• a catalyst being annular and extending circumferentially around the longitudinal axis, the catalyst having a catalyst inlet fluidly connected to the manifold outlet and a catalyst outlet, the catalyst located radially inwardly of the manifold relative to the longitudinal axis;
• and
• an injector plate located radially inwardly of the catalyst, the injector plate being annular and extending circumferentially around the longitudinal axis, the injector plate having an injector inlet fluidly connected to the catalyst outlet and an injector outlet fluidly connected to the volume of the combustion chamber for injecting a catalyzed oxidizer into the combustion chamber, the injector outlet located radially inwardly of the injector inlet relative to the longitudinal axis, the injector plate facing a direction having a radial component and an axial component relative to the longitudinal axis, the axial component oriented away from a divergent section of the nozzle and towards the axial end face, the injector plate configured to inject the catalyzed oxidizer towards the axial end face such that the solid fuel is ablated along a regression direction extending axially away from the nozzle, the axial end face of the solid fuel spaced apart from the injector plate, the volume located axially between the axial end face of the solid fuel and the injector plate.