A REVOLUTIONARY British space plane engine being built in Oxfordshire may be test fired in just four years following an £8m boost from the European Space Agency.

Sabre (Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine) is being developed by Reaction Engines, based at Culham science campus near Abingdon.

The engine is uniquely designed to tap oxygen from the atmosphere in the early part of a space flight before switching to conventional rocket mode for the final ascent into orbit.

A concept re-usable space plane powered by Sabre, called Skylon, would enable the kind of routine access to space normally associated with sci-fi novels and movies.

Taking off and landing like an ordinary aircraft, it would also be able to soar through the atmosphere at up to five times the speed of sound.

The 10 million Euro (£8m) ESA payment is in addition to £50 million already invested by the Government through the UK Space Agency.

It will facilitate the next step in developing Sabre that could see a demonstration engine begin test firing in about four years, said the European space organisation.

A contract paving the way for the Esa funding was signed by Franco Ongaro, the agency's director of technical and quality management, and Reaction Engines chief executive Mark Thomas.

Mr Ongaro said: "Reaction Engines and ESA have been working together since 2008 to make the Sabre concept a reality.

"This new contract marks an important milestone in our continued collaboration to mature the design. It should take us to a point where we can expect to be testing a demonstrator engine in 2020."