Apogee Motors

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AlphaBus CPS

Heritage

500 N European Apogee Motor (EAM)

Lampoldshausen's latest bipropellant apogee motor flight-booked for 2007

	European Apogee Motor Enlarge-High Resolution

Since 1974, apogee motors produced at the Lampoldshausen Centre have a heritage of 100% success for numerous international satellites, spacecraft and deep space probes. To fulfil the future needs of our customers, the Lampoldshausen team are developing an all European, high performance, ITAR free model, known as the European Apogee Motor.

Based on Astrium flight proven ceramic technologies, the European Apogee Motor features an all-in-one combustion chamber and nozzle, enabling a simpler, lighter weight, higher performing engine.

The European Apogee Motor is being developed with the objective of having the best world-wide performance in its class, with an Isp greater than 325 seconds.

Credits:ESA AlphaBus

The European Apogee Motor is being developed with the European Space Agency - ESA, and is supported by the German National Space Agency - DLR.

Already, the European Apogee Motor is baselined for the AlphaBus spacecraft, after its qualifying flight on AlphaSat. Thereafter, the motor will be available to world-wide customers in 2008.

Astrium Lampoldshausen have proposed a Unified Propulsion System for AlphaBus featuring the 500 N European Apogee Motor, 16 x 10 N Reaction Control Thrusters.

TECHNOLOGY Two new major technologies enable the higher performing European Apogee Motor:
	Development of an optimised micro showerhead injector system to achieve the required high performance over a wide operating box.
	Development of an advanced combustion chamber that can accommodate higher, combustion temperatures, vibration and shock.

Filament Winding The processes of filament winding and joining the C/Sic chamber with the metallic injector head has been qualified on sample level and verified on thruster level.
	Compatibility with propellants have been proven by storage and sample shear-strength tests.
	Different NDI methods have been investigated and evaluated, including Ultrasonic, Thermography, Computer Tomography.

Micro Showerhead Injector Advantages:
	Proven technology from the 200 N class thrusters.
	Maximum combustion efficiency. higher specific impulse reduced propellant mass/volume, or longer mission duration.
	Optimum propellant mixture ratio. Common size fuel and oxidiser propellant tanks (mr = 1.65)
	Constant high performance over the entire operating box.
	Competitive production price achievable.

Combustion Chamber Advantages:		C/SiC Combustion Chamber & Nozzle (Enlarge)
	Proven ceramic technology since 1990, including Ariane 5 Aestus engine nozzle extension and 400 N engine combustion chambers.
	All-in-One C/SiC combustion chamber and nozzle. only one interface required to the injector system. competitive production price achievable. a highly efficient showerhead injector
	Superior ceramic materials properties. higher temperature resistance. higher combustion products resistance. higher shock/vibration resistance.
	Lightweight construction mass saving. higher structural stiffness and strength.

CUSTOMER ADVANTAGES The European Apogee Motor will increase satellite customers world-wide competitiveness through higher performance, competitive price and national independence:
	Low mass motor + high specific impulse yields 30 kg to 60 kg propellant saving, or payload gain, over competing engines.
	Advanced materials + reduced production cost yields competitive price on the world market.
	Interface and operating box versatility to enable easy integration into existing and future spacecraft.
	High Reliability will be demonstrated during qualification and in commercial flight before EAM availability.
	Completely ITAR-free, and therefore not subject to US export licence restrictions, allowing competitive access to world-wide customers.
	The European Apogee Motor is being developed with significant Astrium investment, expertise and commitment. The programme is also supported by ESA and the German National Space Agency.

APPLICATIONS
The European Apogee Motor is designed for the needs of large GEO satellites such as AlphaBus, Alcatel's SpaceBus and EADS-Astrium's EuroStar family.

Alternative Applications
Apogee Motors, as well as Thrusters and complete propulsion systems for deep space and interplanetary missions have been supplied by the Lampoldshausen Propulsion Centre for such missions as NASA's Galileo spacecraft to Jupiter, ESA's SOHO Space Observatory - 1.5 million km sunward of the Earth and more recently Mars Express. The 500N European Apogee Motor provides even more performance and flexibility for such missions as:

Commercial and military GEO satellites.
Orbital transfer vehicles.
Reusable launch vehicles.
Re-entry vehicles.
Moon and mars missions.
Deep space missions.
Logistics and orbital servicing craft.

FLEXIBILITY
The European Apogee Motor is designed with simple interfaces to enable easy integration into existing and future spacecraft.

Propellant inlet conditions can be easily adapted to suit existing systems whilst maintaining superior performance.

Trimming orifices upstream of the propellant control valves enable individual adjustment of the propellant flow rate to suit the systems design pressure.

Standard motor accessories are available, including a nozzle heat shield kit. We also produce dedicated, tailor-made accessories for our existing regular customers, such as thrust frames.

The European Apogee Motor can also be supplied as part of a complete unified propulsion system with every back-up, test and support service that you would expect from the European propulsion specialists.

EAM Descriptive Exploded View

STATUS (June 2005)
The Phase 1 development activities were completed at the end of March 2004 resulting in the establishment of the baseline design criteria for the engine's development. A comprehensive market survey analysis and customer feedback has confirmed the European Apogee Motor's competitiveness in terms of performances and costs.

Phase 2 activities are in progress. Sea level verification testing has been performed (see movie), the baseline design of EAM has been established and its Baseline Design Review has been successfully completed.

The development activities are now focused on the injector and chamber technologies. The detailed injector development is in progress, supported by analytical and hydraulic verifications to optimise all parameter combinations for maximum combustion efficiency. The combustion chamber development is mainly concentrated on the manufacturing technology for producing the combustion chamber and expansion nozzle as a single piece.

Further ongoing development activities are associated with:
The nozzle coating system, to ensure resistance against erosion and oxidation.
Interfacing technology for combining the ceramic material with the metallic injector system.

Finally a material characterisation programme is under way to validate the EAM material properties.

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