Aestus

Aestus
Country of origin Germany
First flight 30 October 1997
Last flight 25 July 2018
Designer Ottobrunn Space Propulsion Centre
Manufacturer Astrium
Application Upper stage engine for the orbital insertion of heavy payloads
Associated L/V ESA
Successor Aestus II
Status Retired
Liquid-fuel engine
Propellant Nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) / MMH
Mixture ratio 1,9
Cycle Pressure-fed engine
Configuration
Nozzle ratio 84
Performance
Thrust (vac.) 29.6 kN (6,654 lbf)
Chamber pressure 11 bar
Isp (vac.) 324 s (3.18 km/s)
Burn time 1100s
Dimensions
Length 2.20 m
Diameter 1.31 m
Dry weight 111 kg
Used in

Ariane 5 G and ES

Ariane 6.1 (proposed)
References
References

[1]

[2]
Aestus II / RS-72
Country of origin Germany, United States
Designer Ottobrunn Space Propulsion Centre, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Manufacturer Astrium, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Application Upper stage engine for the orbital insertion of heavy payloads
Associated L/V ESA
Predecessor Aestus
Status In development
Liquid-fuel engine
Propellant Nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) / MMH
Mixture ratio 1,9
Cycle Pressure-fed engine
Pumps XLR-132
Configuration
Nozzle ratio 84
Performance
Thrust (vac.) 55.4 kN (12,450 lbf)
Chamber pressure 60 bar
Isp (vac.) 340 s (3.3 km/s)
Burn time 600s
Dimensions
Length 2.29 m
Diameter 1.31 m
Dry weight 138 kg
References
References [3]

Aestus is a hypergolic liquid rocket engine used on an upper stage of Ariane 5 family rockets for the orbital insertion. It features unique design of 132 coaxial injection elements causing swirl mixing of the MMH propellants with Nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer. Engine allows for multiple re-ignitions.

Aestus II / RS-72

Aestus II (also known as RS-72) is a turbopump version of the Aestus currently under development in a collaboration between the Ottobrunn Space Propulsion Centre and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. It is designed for improved performance, thrust and reliability over its predecessor.

RS-72 Pathfinder version of the engine has completed 14 successful hot fire tests in White Sands Test Facility.

Operations

Fuel and oxidizer are stored in two aluminum alloy tanks, fuel tank is spherical while oxidizer tank is enlarged due to different volumes required from engine operations. Before engine is started it is purged with helium and fuel is pressurized. Then oxidizer valve is opened in a center of injector followed by fuel injectors arranged on a chamber wall. Hypergolic propellants spontaneously ignite on contact expanding to supersonic velocities and escaping through cooled nozzle extension.

History

Aestus was developed by the Ottobrunn Space Propulsion Centre between 1988 and 1995 with first flight as an upper stage of Ariane 5 G flight 502 and performed as designed.[1][4] The first improvements were developed between 1999 and 2002 improving the frame performance and adjusting propellant mixture ratio from 2.05 to 1.90 with a first flight on an Ariane 5 flight 518 on 26 February 2004. Ignition qualification programme preparing engine for handling new Automated Transfer Vehicle that requires 3 ignitions per flight was completed in 2007 and flew with Jules Verne ATV on Ariane 5 flight 528.

Aestus II development was supported by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne which provided turbopump to the engine. First prototype variant called RS-72 Pathfinder successfully completed 14 tests in White Sands Test Facility reaching 60 second burn time at 100% power.

References

  1. 1 2 EADS Astrium. "Aestus Brochure" (PDF). Airbus Defence and Space. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Turner, Martin J. L. (2004), Rocket and Spacecraft Propulsion: Principles, Practice and New Developments, Springer, pp. 86–88, ISBN 978-3-540-22190-6
  3. ↑ EADS Astrium. "Aestus II / RS 72 Rocket Engine". Airbus Defence and Space. Archived from the original on 22 November 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Ariane 502—Results of detailed data analysis". ESA. 1998-04-08.
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