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Core Technology Activity for Future Launchers

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Core Technology Activity for Future Launchers future launchers future → → A TOUCHSTONE FOR SUCCESS Core technology activity for future launchers Guy Ramusat Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP), Directorate of Launchers, ESA HQ, Paris, France Whether you’re going into Earth orbit, exploring expendable launchers have reached a ‘plateau’ in terms of distant worlds, or coming back home, the first and technical implementation and cost per flight. last few hundred kilometres of the journey are Novel technological solutions, which cope with the ever- always the toughest part. The Core Technology changing environmental loading conditions from launch project of ESA’s Future Launcher Preparatory until to payload delivery in orbit, are required to improve Programme is helping to prepare future access to performance and reduce the cost of access to space, while space, and make it cheaper, safer and more flexible still keeping high reliability. than today. Since the beginning of the 1990s, and backed up by a long-term vision, ESA has performed several trade studies Large numbers of spacecraft manufacturers worldwide to identify and assess new and innovative approaches or rely on the healthy and competitive European expendable concepts for advanced as well as reusable launch vehicle launcher vehicle fleet – namely Ariane-5 and soon Soyuz and systems. However, these attempts have never yielded Vega – to successfully transport their various payloads into development programmes, due to the changing market space. requirements and funding issues. However, in general, these commercial launch vehicles are In 2004, together with several ESA Member States and based mainly on ‘conventional’ rocket technology. Today’s European industry, ESA agreed to forge ahead with projects European Space Agency | Bulletin 137 | February 2009 41 lauchers to assess next-generation launcher concepts, to look at 180 European current situation and to foster future prospects 160 in this field. The Future Launchers Preparatory Programme 140 (FLPP) currently evaluates the development provisions 120 required to design and build these future launchers for 100 the most critical technologies in relation with the system studies. 80 60 Over the past 50 years, large budgets were spent worldwide 40 on technology development programmes to dramatically increase the launch vehicle performances, to reduce costs of programmes growth cost Percent 20 and to provide safer and more reliable access to space. 0 New system studies and associated technology capabilities 0 5 10 15 20 25 are essential elements to support future Earth-to-orbit Phase A/B investment % of programme total transportation developments, allowing the reduction of both development risk and associated costs. ↑ Statistics based on 30 years of NASA civil space programmes Prior investment invariably teads to lower cost overruns, argue in favour of the fact that investment spent in as found in US Space programmes (W. E. Hammond - technology and the definition phases had actually reduced Space Transportation, A System Approach to Analysis and cost overruns. During those 30 years, ‘no project enjoyed Design - AIAA series, 1999) less than a 40% cost overrun unless it was preceded by an investment in studies and technology of at least 5 to 10% of the actual project budget’, and a strong prior investment elements as well programmatic ones to make an informed in such areas invariably tended to lower the cost overrun. decision in the future on the best operational launch vehicle Such results have also been confirmed by US military system to respond to the future institutional needs, while programmes. maintaining competitiveness on the commercial market at that time. At ESA agency level, the establishment of plans for advancing the development of critical technologies are This innovative and flexible programme has been investing considered as well as the introduction of technology in the development of industrial launcher technology readiness reviews for projects, in connection with System capabilities in some main transatmospheric and space cargo Requirement Reviews (SRRs), allowing a better identification transportation areas since 2004. How well ESA does this will and mitigation of technology risks. This reflects the be a major determining factor in Europe’s effectiveness in importance of the technologies in the preparatory activities. providing for this assured access to space in the future. Representing a sizeable European investment, the general Past and current European programmes developed the objective of the FLP Programme is to prepare these technical Ariane, Vega and Soyuz at CSG launch vehicle assets, as → Industrial Policy The FLP Programme is an ESA optional their subcontractors, for the NGL the related High-thrust Engine programme, where 13 Member system activities, the management integrated demonstrator. States are participating, with a of several technologies and balanced subscription between the is responsible for the overall More than 60 companies, institutes three major contributors (France, Technology Development and or universities are involved in Germany and Italy). The industrial Verification Plan. these activities. The programme organisation, where new industrial benefits from this large industrial schemes are implemented, reflects The Joint Propulsion Team, a effort, where subcontractors can be this configuration. consortium of EADS Astrium Space involved early in system studies for Transportation GmbH, Avio SpA trade-offs, and organisations not NGL Prime SpA, a joint venture of and SNECMA, is responsible, with currently working on ESA-developed EADS SPACE (70%) and Finmeccanica their subcontractors, for main launchers can promote their know- (30%), has the responsibility, with stage propulsion technologies and how for future involvement. 42 www.esa.int lauchers well as the required systems and industrial competencies Through technology, the FLPP is also an opening for new in this field. However, to maintain these competencies, entrants to the launchers sector. As such, the whole FLPP and a competitive European position, more-challenging programme will contribute to unleashing the true potential programmes have to be put in place. of space to the long-term benefit of the European citizens and the industry of ESA Member States. The technological know-how in all launch vehicle fields cannot be considered as something ‘once gained and never Snapshot of FLPP activities lost’, especially because Europe must respond to the future The preparation of these technical and programmatic institutional launch vehicle requirements and be able to elements is based on the maturation of enabling compete in the strong commercial market. technologies that will mitigate risks in any future space transportation system development. The Period-1 of FLPP, On the other hand, it not wise to depend on as-yet- which was decided in 2003 and is covering the years unavailable technology to reach a fixed schedule and cost 2004-6, was focused on system studies and technology in a future launch vehicle development programme. The developments for the preparation of the Reusable Launch FLPP Core Technology project, with its various subsystem Vehicles (RLV) for the Next Generation Launcher (NGL). demonstrators, will demonstrate feasibility and answer the The second period of FLPP was adopted in 2005 and is now under way. The contents of this second period have been oriented towards Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELV). A first step was adopted in 2005 and Step 2 was approved at the ESA Ministerial Council in November 2008, with the objectives to continue for the preparation of the NGL for the distant future, and to contribute to the preparation of short/ medium-term decisions. The programme implements a system-driven approach, largely addressing integrated demonstrators, as the most efficient way to increase the technology readiness level and address at the same time system-level capabilities, motivating and federating industry teams and capabilities behind concrete technological end-products, from their initial definition to their manufacturing, ground/flight testing and exploitation of results. Various launch vehicle system concepts (NGL or other advanced concepts) target an initial operating capability between 2025 and 2035, depending on the type of vehicle eventually selected for development. Aside from launch vehicle system concepts ↑ System studies on various Expendable Launch Vehicle concepts, baselines for technology activities (NGL Prime) question for each concept: “Does the technology for a Next Generation Launcher exist, or is it within reach?” The technology activities already carried out over FLPP Period 1 show that the technology assumptions are achievable. Whether the current FLP Programme is a success or not will depend on the follow-up applications. For instance, the technology improvement of the ceramic shield elements will support future re-entry vehicles and the FLPP Expander Engine Demonstrator activity led yet to a building block application in the post-Ariane ECA programme. ← With the technical support of the ESA’s European Space Technology and Research Centre (Noordwijk), as well Cross-section view inside as European national space agencies and research a typical future launcher. organisations, the FLPP Core Technology project enables ESA Several key technologies to capitalise on launcher technology as one of the steps to are required to develop prepare for future cheaper, safer and more flexible access to such a high-performance space. launcher (NGL Prime)
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