First ignition for ESA’s low-cost, reusable rocket engine
With first ignition, ESA’s reusable, next-generation Prometheus rocket engine development project has taken a step toward hot fire testing. Ongoing work at prime contractor ArianeGroup’s facilities in Vernon, France is being carried out using the Themis reusable stage demonstrator as a test bed.
The 100-ton thrust class Prometheus features extensive use of new materials and manufacturing techniques designed to reduce its cost to just a tenth of Ariane 5’s Vulcain 2, an upgraded version of which – Vulcain 2.1 – powers the core stage of Ariane 6.
Prometheus is an all-new design featuring variable thrust, multiple ignition capability and intelligent onboard control systems. Additive layer manufacturing – so-called 3D printing – features extensively, reducing the number of parts, speeding up production and reducing waste. This highly versatile engine will be suitable for use on core, booster and upper stages of Europe’s future launch vehicles.
For this test campaign, which began with an initial thrust chamber ignition as a prelude to longer-duration trials, Prometheus is burning liquid oxygen-methane fuel. Liquid methane fuel is clean burning and simplifies handling, to help enable reusability and reduce the cost of ground operations before and after flight. A version using liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen is also being developed.
ESA Head of Future Space Transportation Rüdeger Albat said: “Prometheus is one of the most exciting new technology development projects in Europe today. We are showing the way to a low-cost future for space operations based on 100% European technology.”
The successful ignition of Prometheus is a first in Europe for this class of engine. A further Prometheus test campaign will be conducted in the coming months at the engine development facility of Germany’s DLR aerospace agency in Lampoldshausen.
Prometheus testing precedes a campaign planned for Themis, in which the engine-stage combination will attempt a series of “hop-tests”, lifting a few meters above the ground to check flight and landing capability.
Together, Prometheus and Themis are envisioned to be common technological building blocks for a future family of European launchers. A sooner application could be seen in Ariane 6 upgrades.