Safran : Successful first test for the Ariane 6 Vulcain engine
January 23, 2018 at 12:24 pm
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The Vulcain® 2.1 engine, which will power the main stage of Ariane 6, has completed a successful first test firing
The test was carried out on behalf of ArianeGroup by the DLR (German Aerospace Center) at its Lampoldshausen site
This is a version of the Ariane 5 Vulcain® 2 engine optimized for Ariane 6
Images of the test can be downloaded from www.ariane.group
The Vulcain® 2.1 engine, developed by ArianeGroup to power the main stage of the Ariane 6 launcher, for which the maiden flight is scheduled for 2020, has just been successfully tested by the DLR (German Aerospace Center) on the P5 test facility at its site in Lampoldshausen, Germany on behalf of ArianeGroup.
This is a version of the Ariane 5 Vulcain® 2 engine especially adapted for the Ariane 6 main stage, to simplify production and to lower costs. To reach these objectives the engine integrates technologies such as a gas generator built using 3D printing, a simplified divergent nozzle, and an oxygen heater for tank pressurization. These adaptations contribute to achieving the cost targets set for the Ariane 6 launcher, while retaining the efficiency and reliability demonstrated on Ariane 5.
The tests carried out at Lampoldshausen will allow the new engine to be tested throughout its flight envelope (thrust, mixing ratio, propellant supply conditions).
In parallel, the Ariane 6 upper stage Vinci® engine qualification program is continuing on schedule, with more than 130 test firings performed on the two test beds in France and Germany (the P4.1 at the DLR's Lampoldshausen site and the PF52 at the ArianeGroup test site in Vernon, France), including several demonstrations of the multiple ignition capability required by Ariane customers for their missions on Ariane 6.
Design authority and industrial lead contractor for the development and operation of the Ariane 6 launcher on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA), ArianeGroup coordinates an industrial network of more than 600 companies in 13[1] European countries, including more than 350 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
[1] 12 European countries are involved in the industrialization of Ariane 5, 13 for Ariane 6.
Safran SA published this content on 23 January 2018 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 23 January 2018 17:24:01 UTC.
Original documenthttps://www.safran-group.com/media/successful-first-test-ariane-6-vulcain-engine-20180123
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Safran is a high technology international group, a leading equipment provider in the Aerospace and Defense markets. The group specializes in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of equipment and systems of high technology mechanical and electronic equipment. Net sales break down by product family as follows:
- aeronautic and space propulsion systems (51.2%): helicopter motors (No. 1 worldwide), civil and military airplanes motors, systems for space lancers and missiles, turboreactors for drone targets, etc.;
- aircraft equipment, defense systems and aerosystems (38%): airplane engine pods, landing gear, braking systems, electric wiring systems, etc. Safran also offers on board aircraft systems and equipment (primarily evacuation slides, emergency arresting systems, protective parachutes and oxygen systems, electrical power management systems, control systems, water and waste management systems and connectivity systems) and defense and security systems (helicopter flight controls, fingerprint-based biometric identification systems (No. 1 worldwide), inertial systems, optronic systems, tactical drone systems, etc.);
- aircraft interiors (10.7%): cabin interiors and seats;
- other (0.1%).
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: France (19.4%), Europe (24%), the Americas (34.8%), Asia and Oceania (13.2%), Africa and the Middle East (8.6%).