Prometheus complete ignition, Ariane Group test center Vernon, France June 22,2023 The Prometheus engine has actually made essential development in screening, appealing low-cost and reusability for European rockets. Concurrent Themis rocket phase advancement is likewise underway. Credit: Ariane Group
The advancement of an economical, recyclable Prometheus engine for European rockets has actually seen considerable development.
An continuous task to establish a low-cost, recyclable engine for European rockets made substantial development over the summer season and fall, with a series of tests that attained complete ignition and, eventually, a 30- 2nd burn with re-ignition of an early model of the Prometheus engine.
Work at Ariane Group’s test center in Vernon, France attained very first ignition in June 2023 (envisioned), followed by the 30- 2nd shooting and re-ignition on October 20.
Features and Benefits of the Prometheus Engine
The 100- tonne thrust class Prometheus burns liquid oxygen-liquid methane fuel. Methane is tidy burning and streamlines handling, to assist allow reusability and decrease the expense of ground operations before and after flight.
Extensive usage of brand-new products and making strategies is likewise anticipated to decrease expenses to simply a tenth of Ariane 5’s Vulcain 2, an updated variation of which– Vulcain 2.1– powers the core phase of Ariane 6.
Prometheus, established by ESA and Ariane Group, is an ultra-low expense recyclable rocket engine demonstrator which utilizes liquid oxygen– methane propellants and has a thrust of 1000 kN. This engine is extremely flexible, making it appropriate for usage on core, booster and upper phases of Europe’s future launch automobiles. Credit: Ariane Group Holding
ESA’s Insights and Future Testing
According to ESA’s Prometheus program supervisor Jean-Noel Caruana, trial run over the previous year at Vernon have actually made “significant” development towards dealing with a lot of the difficulties raised by enthusiastic brand-new innovation.
He included that screening up until now has actually been done on a single model engine, however the test effort need to speed up with the impending shipment of 2 additional examples. Ariane Group, which is establishing Prometheus under agreement from ESA, will broaden screening early next year with the setup of among these models on a test bed customized for liquid methane fuel at German aerospace company DLR’s test website in Lampoldshausen, Germany.
Parallel Developments
Work up until now has actually been made with Prometheus installed in an early model of a recyclable rocket phase, called Themis, which is being established in parallel with the engine under agreement from ESA. While engine screening continues, work is likewise underway to prepare an advanced Themis model for a series of “hop-tests” in Kiruna,Sweden The goal will be to take off and increase to as high as 100 m, to inspect flight and landing ability.
