The consortium proposes an innovative activity to develop, build and test to TRL5 the first European Plug and Play Gridded Ion Engine Standardised Electric Propulsion Platform (GIESEPP) to operate Airbus Safran Launchers and QinetiQ Space ion engines. These are the only European ion engines in the 200-700W (LEO) and 5kW (GEO) domains that are space-proven, and the consortium’s intention will be to improve European competitiveness and to maintain and secure the European non-dependence in this field. The project will design and develop a standardised electric propulsion platform for 200-700W and 5kW applications, which has the capability to run either Airbus Safran Launchers or QinetiQ thrusters. In addition, the 5kW electric propulsion system will be designed to allow clustering for 20kW EPS for space transportation, exploration and interplanetary missions. In order to cope with challenging mission scenarios, Dual Mode functionality of the thrusters will be realised. This ensures that the beneficial high Isp characteristics of Gridded Ion Engines are maintained, whilst also offering a competitive higher thrust mode. The GIESEPP systems will not be limited to xenon as an operating medium; assessments will be performed to ensure functionality with alternative propellants. The approach to system standardisation and the resulting solutions will provide highly cost competitive and innovative EPS for current and future satellite markets, whilst meeting the cost efficiency requirements. The proposal will describe the roadmap to higher TRL by 2023-2024, providing a cost competitive EPS. Finally, the proposal will address efficient exploitation of the results, demonstrating how the activity will positively increase the impact and prospects for European Ion Engines and the European Electric Propulsion System community.

SLOshing Wing Dynamics (SLOWD) aims to investigate the effect of sloshing on the dynamics of flexible, wing-like structures carrying a liquid (fuel), through the development of experimental, numerical and analytical methods, and to use sloshing to reduce the loads occurring from gusts and turbulence. Its main goal is to provide a holistic approach (both experimental and numerical) in order to quantify the energy-dissipation effects associated with the liquid movement inside the fuel tanks, as the wing undergoes dynamic excitations. An increase of the order of 50% in the damping characteristics of the structure is expected.

Today, the amount of telemetry data from the sensors in the upper stages of a launch vehicle is very restricted, due to limited on-board-computing capacities combined with limited data bandwidth to ground. As a result, no detailed information about the various phases of the flight is available. Massively extended Modular Monitoring for Upper Stages (MaMMoTH-Up) will improve the amount of monitored data by a factor of more than 2500 by integrating four key objectives, which are 1. a self-configuring monitoring framework that will selectively observe, pre-process, and compress sensor data, 2. Components off the Shelf (COTS) that provide improved computing performance on a launcher, 3. design solutions guaranteeing the required levels of dependability, even when using relatively unreliable COTS components, and 4. a tight coupling with advanced dependability analysis. Achieving these 4 goals is scientifically and practically highly relevant. A demonstrator at TRL 6 will show the advantages of the new monitoring infrastructure and a virtual prototype proves the advanced dependability enhancements. Thus, MaMMoTH-Up will provide a framework and a proof-of-concept for next-generation avionics solutions for a launcher based on COTS. Moreover, the work plan provides the path to realization, potentially including a demo-flight at the end of the project. The proposed technology is complementary with on-going launcher developments. The usage of COTS will represent a direct advantage over competitors; this will decrease time-to-market and decrease the European dependence on external suppliers. MaMMoTH-Up directly addresses the call COMPET-2-2014 by providing an innovative avionics solution for safer and more reliable launch operations for conventional launching systems. The solution developed within MaMMoTH-Up strengthens competitiveness and cost-efficiency having an immediate commercial potential.

SALTO will perform, for the first time in Europe, fly / recover / refly cycles of a reusable rocket first stage demonstrator. Operating a large-scale vehicle at low altitude, consistent with future European strategic needs, and embedding a set of critical technologies, the project will significantly boost the strategic launchers roadmap, enabling the vision of a future launch fleet improving by 50% space access costs and reducing environmental impacts. SALTO will hence act as a “stepping stone” towards reusability of strategic launchers in Europe which is one of the key leverages to reach such vision. Fully aligned with previous ESA-funded activities (e.g. Themis initial phase Program), SALTO focuses on - Technologies and building blocks maturation up to TRL5/6 for the first stage of a strategic launcher; - Subsystem/system tests with two low altitude system tests (“hop test”) campaigns. SALTO's methodology will combine robust system engineering with technology maturation activities and a stepped demonstration strategy to accelerate experimental learning through the implementation of the Agile methodology. The SALTO project will culminate in flight test campaigns to demonstrate and validate the technologies necessary for a reusable launch vehicle. SALTO will contribute to the cost reduction target for strategic launcher in Europe by addressing ~3/4 (in cost) of all technologies / operations involved in a future European reusable rocket stage. While Europe is currently lagging behind other global players when it comes to reusable launchers, SALTO will reinforce EU’s independent capacity to access space, secure autonomy of supply for critical technologies and equipment, and foster EU's space sector competitiveness. At the end of the project, lessons will be drawn regarding the maturity of the different technological bricks, TRL and readiness for flight tests. A roadmap to increase their maturity will be prepared in view of suborbital tests by 2025.

There is an increasing demand for advanced materials with temperature capability in highly corrosive environments for aerospace. Rocket nozzles of solid/hybrid rocket motors must survive harsh thermochemical and mechanical environments produced by high performance solid propellants (2700-3500°C). Thermal protection systems (TPS) for space vehicles flying at Mach 7 must withstand projected service temperatures up to 2500°C associated to convective heat fluxes up to 15 MWm-2 and intense mechanical vibrations at launch and re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. The combination of extremely hot temperatures, chemically aggressive environments and rapid heating/cooling is beyond the capabilities of current materials. Main purpose of C3HARME is to design, develop, manufacture, test and validate a new class of out-performing, reliable, cost-effective and scalable Ultra High Temperature Ceramic Matrix Composites (UHTCMCs) based on C or SiC fibres/preforms enriched with ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) capable o