ESA’s director of Space Transportation Toni-Tolker Nielsen and Philippe Clar, Civil Space Programs at ArianeGroup signed two contract riders worth approximately €230 million to continue the demonstration of the Prometheus engine and reuseable rocket stage demonstrator Themis.

The first Themis rocket prototype demonstrator is being finalised by ArianeGroup in Les Mureaux, France. The project aims to deliver low-cost rocket recovery and reuse technologies using the reusable, methane-fuelled engine Prometheus. A low-altitude hop-test using Themis is scheduled next year from Esrange launch facility in Sweden, as part of the EU’s SALTO project.

The contract extensions signed today at ESA’s headquarters in Paris, France, are to further demonstrate and test evolutions of the Prometheus engine and the Themis demonstrator with higher and more hop-tests.

From engines…

The Prometheus engine allows for in-flight restarting and reuse on multiple flights. It has similar power to Europe’s largest rocket engine in use today, the Vulcain 2.1 used on Ariane 6. Prometheus uses liquid methane at –162°C as a fuel instead of hydrogen used by Vulcain 2.1. This has advantages as methane is denser and easier to handle than hydrogen, reducing costs in engine and launcher design and easing reignition.

The contract rider for Prometheus will focus on demonstrating a refined model using industrial, low-cost, manufacturing processes and assessing engine maintenance and reusability. The contract includes work to adapt the “PF50” test stand in Vernon, France, used to test Vulcain engines, to provide methane-fuel for further firing tests of the Prometheus engine.

The technologies used for industrial production of the reusable Prometheus engine, together with a new combustion chamber and turbopumps for a hydrogen-fuel version of Prometheus, will help reduce production costs of the Vulcain 2.1.

ArianeGroup at Vernon in France is leading a team of subcontractors working on Prometheus that are located in Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland.

…to reusable rockets

The new-model Prometheus will be integrated into a new Themis rocket first stage demonstrator known as T1E for Themis one-engine Evolution. This second flight demonstrator will have upgraded structures and propellant tanks allowing it to fly higher and for longer from its testing launch facility at Esrange near Kiruna, Sweden.

The new flight tests with recovery and reuse techniques will consist of a medium altitude lift-off and landing hop test. More tests at higher altitudes will follow.

In parallel to this new vehicle manufacturing, assembly and delivery, technologies needed for stage recovery such as grid-fin aerodynamic stabilizers will be designed and tested on ground. The Esrange ground equipment will be adapted and a new flight termination system designed and implemented on the vehicle for the larger-scope testing of take-off and landing of Themis.

ArianeGroup is leading a team of subcontractors working on Themis that are located in France, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, and Sweden.

ESA’s director of Space Transportation, Toni-Tolker Nielsen, said, “These two contract riders are a significant investment that will take Europe further to having a low-cost re-useable rocket, that will have far-reaching benefits for people in our Member States, including creating highly skilled competencies in Europe.”

“European cooperation is ArianeGroup’s core DNA and these new steps in the development of reuse technologies in Europe are boosting the motivation of our teams and our partners”, said Philippe Clar, the new Head of Civil Programs at ArianeGroup, “Signing these two contracts so soon after taking up the job is exciting and I wish to thank the European Space Agency for its confidence and its commitment.”

Quelle: ESA