2023-11-03 18:30:02
Par Vernon Editorial
Published on Nov 3, 23 at 7:30 p.m. See my news Follow Le Démocrate Vernonnais
All lights are green at the moment. In recent weeks, the Prometheus® demonstrator programs and the Themis reusable stage have made major progress over the summer, particularly at the ArianeGroup site in Vernon (Eure).
On June 22, the joint venture, created in 2015 and owned by Airbus and Safran (whose main mission is to develop the Ariane 6 launchers, Editor’s note), completed the first Prometheus® ignition campaign on Themis, carried out with the support from France Relance.
During the last test of the campaign, the engine ran for a duration of 12 seconds. A second test, carried out on September 23, finalized the initial phase of the contract with the European Space Agency (ESA).
The last fire test, dated October 20, enabled the ignition and operation of the Prometheus® engine for 30 seconds, followed by re-ignition.
“The objective now is to test, over the coming months, the operation of the engine over its entire thrust range. The engine’s ability to vary its thrust is essential to allow the Themis stage to return to earth. »
ArianeGroup
At the same time, the roadmap for the Themis reusable stage demonstrator continues.
The ArianeGroup teams are now entering the preparation phase for the first flight. The upcoming steps will thus make it possible to validate the Prometheus® engine for the Themis flight envelope, with a view to flight tests in Kiruna, Sweden.
“Essential step”
Concerning the Themis stage itself, several important advances have taken place in recent months.
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The major parts which constitute the vehicle were received in Vernon, in particular the multi-engine bay (MEB – Multi-Engine Bay), a structure produced by SABCA (Belgium) and which will accommodate the three Prometheus® engines, and the flight control bay ( FCB – Flight Control Bay) built by APCO Technologies (Switzerland), which will mainly accommodate avionics equipment.
Themis landing legs also completed their first deployment tests. Made by Almatech (Switzerland) for ArianeGroup, these feet are sized to support the stage’s return to earth.
“On the one hand, Themis tanks are currently undergoing a series of tests in Vernon in order to validate the flight subassemblies. The structure comprising the two tanks with a common bottom is a major component of the vehicle. This campaign includes several filling tests with liquid oxygen (-183°C) and liquid methane (-160°C). The success of these tests is an essential step to validate the implementation and behavior of the tanks before flight tests. »
ArianeGroup
Demonstrator sent to Sweden
All of these tests carried out in Vernon are part of the development contracts for the Prometheus® and Themis demonstrators awarded by ESA to ArianeGroup. Once the various test campaigns have been successfully completed, the Themis stage will be integrated into the ArianeGroup site in Mureaux (Yvelines) and prepared for flight tests.
“The demonstrator will then be sent to Sweden to carry out flight tests (hop-test) which will be carried out from the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, as part of the SALTO project of the European Union (Horizon Europe)”, concludes ArianeGroup.
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