ESA plans demonstration of a reusable rocket stage

ESA is taking the first steps towards the in-flight demonstration of a prototype reusable rocket first stage called Themis from 2023.

The Themis programme will provide valuable information on the economic value of reusability for Europe and prove technologies for potential use on future European launch vehicles.

Themis is founded on decisions taken at Space19+, European advances in technologies for reusability and a more agile and cost-driven approach to development.

On 15 December, ESA signed a contract worth euro 33 million with prime contractor ArianeGroup in France for the 'Themis Initial Phase'. This first phase of the Themis involves preparation of the flight vehicle technologies, the test bench and static firing demonstrations at Vernon in France. It also includes the preparation of the ground segment at the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden, for the first 'hop' tests and any associated flight vehicle modifications.

The aim with this programme is to complete tests early on in the development cycle. This will achieve technological milestones that will accelerate development and guide the final build.

ArianeGroup and its collaborators in Belgium, Switzerland, France and Sweden offer critical technical knowhow gained through the development of Europe's next-generation engine - Prometheus - which will power Themis.

ESA's Prometheus is a highly versatile engine capable of providing 1000 kN of variable thrust and is reignitable which makes it suitable for core, booster and upper stage application. An onboard computer handles engine management and monitoring in real time - a crucial feature for reusability.

Themis is 30 m high and 3.5 m in diameter. This single-stage vehicle demonstrator holds 130 tonnes of liquid oxygen/methane to fuel three aligned Prometheus engines.

Suborbital flight tests are scheduled as of 2023 at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Two landing sites are under consideration: the 'Diamant zone', used for experimental demonstrations, or the Ariane 5 launch complex, which will become available after the transition from the Ariane 5 to the next-generation Ariane 6.

"Themis will advance key technologies and demonstrate reusability capabilities in Europe. This will create additional options for lowering the cost of access to space and increase Europe's flexibility to offer a variety of launch services," commented Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Space Transportation.

"Powered by the Prometheus engine demonstrator, running on liquid oxygen/methane or oxygen/hydrogen combinations, Themis will lead to the proving and development of very low-cost launcher solutions, while contributing to energy transition to a more eco-responsible space launcher sector," added Andre-Hubert Roussel, CEO at ArianeGroup.

Related Links
Space Transportation at ESA
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Another Aerojet Rocketdyne hypersonic engine makes history
Huntsville AL (SPX) Dec 16, 2020
Aerojet Rocketdyne and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) have achieved record levels of thrust by a scramjet engine 10 years after making history by powering the first hydrocarbon-fueled and cooled air-breathing hypersonic flight test. The AFRL-Aerojet Rocketdyne team recently completed a successful series of hot-fire tests of an advanced air-breathing hypersonic engine under the United States Air Force's Medium Scale Critical Components (MSCC) program. "Our scramjet engine powered th ... read more