Germany’s DLR advances Prometheus testing for ArianeGroup

Aerospace research agency says improvements to P5 test stand allow it to trial novel propellant mix in new rocket engine.
Germany’s DLR aerospace research centre has completed a milestone at its newly modernised P5 test stand in Lampoldshausen, in southwest Germany, using ArianeGroup’s new Prometheus rocket engine.

DLR says that “for the first time in the test stand’s history”, an engine was ignited several times in a single test day and run at stable operating points within one continuous sequence.

The tests, which built on earlier trials at the manufacturer’s site in Vernon, France, generated “important findings for the development of reusable rocket propulsion systems”, DLR says.

ArianeGroup is developing the 100t-thrust-class Prometheus engine on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). It uses a combination of liquid methane and liquid oxygen as its propellant, a key innovation for the engine.

“Compared with liquid hydrogen, it has a considerably higher density and can be stored at higher temperatures. This simplifies the design and handling of the tanks and supply systems,” says the DLR.

Prometheus development is funded as part of ESA’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP), to advance new technologies for future European launch vehicles. Germany has contributed €80 million ($89 million) to the FLPP effort, channelled via its national space agency in the DLR.

To cope with the unique requirements of the menthane-oxygen fuel system, DLR has upgraded the P5 test stand.

“With the modernised P5, we can test high-thrust methane-fuelled rocket engines reliably and comprehensively,” says Anja Frank, head of the DLR Institute of Space Propulsion.

“In doing so, we investigate not only individual operating states but also the interplay of different phases, from longer hot-fire tests through large changes in thrust to the re-ignition of the engine.”

The upgrades to P5 mean that it also now allows for multiple consecutive engine ignitions.

“This flexibility makes it possible to investigate operating sequences of the kind that can occur during the flight of a reusable rocket stage,” says the DLR.

Engine re-ignitions place significant demands on both the engine and test infrastructure, demanding draining and purging of the fuel supply systems before re-establishing the correct pressure and temperature conditions.

“Up to five ignitions in a single test day place high demands on the coordination of the test stand systems,” says Frank.

“The fact that we can carry out these procedures automatically, safely and in a reproducible manner is an important step towards testing reusable propulsion systems.”

Additionally, the upgraded P5 facility makes it possible to investigate different thrust levels and the transitions between them under controlled conditions.

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