EADS subsidiary Astrium has won a E20m two-year contract to develop launch technologies for the European Space Agency (ESA).
Under the contract, Astrium will develop technology key to enabling the engines of the cryogenic upper stages (fuelled by liquid…
EADS subsidiary Astrium has won a E20m two-year contract to develop launch technologies for the European Space Agency (ESA).
Under the contract, Astrium will develop technology key to enabling the engines of the cryogenic upper stages (fuelled by liquid hydrogen and oxygen) to be re-ignited.
Known as the CUST (Cryogenic Upper Stage Technologies) project, and issued under the framework of the Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP) of ESA, Astrium’s work will focus on fuel management in the state of zero-gravity and on the thermal insulation of the fuel tanks filled with cryogenic fuel.
“It will be a huge challenge to develop the technologies needed to supply fuel to the engine after a period of weightlessness, but they are a vital necessity if we want to make more powerful and flexible launch vehicles. A re-ignitable engine is also an essential requirement for certain types of space missions like placing satellites more effectively in their orbits or trajectories towards ‘exotic’ destinations, like a Lagrangian point or a planet,” said Thomas Renk, head of the CUST project at Astrium. “
According to Astrium management, one of the main challenges of designing this specific type of re-ignitable cryogenic upper stage is maintaining the fuel in a liquid state. Above a certain temperature, the liquid turns to gas and there is a risk that the fuel will evaporate. Another major challenge is that of directing the fuel to the place where it is needed, namely the feed lines to the engine.
To support this work, two experiments relating to cryogenic fuel management will be launched in 2011 onboard the Texus sounding rocket, as part of the Texus/Maxus programme that Astrium and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have been operating from Kiruna in northern Sweden for over 30 years.
Astrium says that its experience designing and building Ariane 5’s upper stage clinched the ESA deal.
Last year, Astrium parent company turned over E4.8bn and generated E42.8bn in revenue.
