With Themis, ESA follows SpaceX on the path of reusable rockets

Source: HW Upgrade added 16th Dec 2020

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ESA Themis is the name of the rocket reusable that will be developed by the European space agency to meet the needs of the market that want increasingly cheaper and more eco-sustainable launches. The first suborbital test since 2023.

by Mattia Speroni published , at 16: 50 in the Science and Technology channel

ESA SpaceX

SpaceX revolutionized the way we think about space launches with its rockets reusable (first stage and fairing for the moment) Falcon . Now that the road has been opened, others are thinking of “launch” in this enterprise: for example Roscosmos with Amur, Rocket Lab with Electron but also ESA with the new Themis . Of course, we are still in the pre-prototype phase , to see the actual capacities it will be necessary to wait until 2023 when there should be the first flight.

André -Hubert Roussel (CEO of ArianeGroup) stated “Themis will lead to the experimentation and development of low cost launch solutions, while contributing to the energy transition towards a more eco-responsible space launcher sector “.

ESA Themis: aims to reduce costs to go to space

The idea behind ESA Themis is the same that led go on Elon Musk with the Falcon rockets: reuse most of the components to reduce the costs of individual launches. This will allow you to run more launches and do it at lower prices. Europe could not stand by and watch Russia and US private companies move forward without at least trying to argue.

As reported by ESA itself, the 15 December 2020, has signed a contract from 33 million euros with ArianeGroup which will begin the development of the technologies needed to complete the first flight of Themis . The place chosen for the realization is France while the test area (with “i jumps” at low altitude) is expected in Sweden. In the 2023 there will instead be the suborbital tests that will take place in the Kourou spaceport, in French Guiana.

At the base of the ESA Themis reusable rocket there will be the engines called Prometheus which will be fundamental for the initial tests and the static fire . The initial specification of this oxygen / liquid methane (or hydrogen) engine is 1000 kN of thrust (variable) and the ability to turn off and on allow it to be used for core, booster and second stage. The on-board computer will also allow real-time monitoring of the thrust so as to allow the necessary corrections for the return.

The first information on ESA Themis speak of a high rocket 30 meters and 3.5 meters wide. It is therefore a cross between a Falcon 1 (about tall 20 meters) and a Falcon 9 (about 70 meters high). However, we remind you that this version will be demonstrative only.