GTD assigned by DLR with Measurement Command and Control System contract for the by DLR operated ESA test facility P3.2 in Lampoldshausen As part of the European Space Agency (ESA) financed Upgrades and Renewals activities the Institute of Space Propulsion of DLR, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) has entrusted GTD with the contract for the development of the Measurement, Command and Control System for the by DLR operated ESA test facility P3.2 in Lampoldshausen. The DLR test site in Lampoldshausen has been playing a central and crucial role for the European launcher business from its very beginning in the 1960s. Making an effort to keep and strengthen this position, DLR wishes to fully refurbish the Measurement, Command and Control System of the P3.2 test facility partially installed in the 80’s. The test facility P3.2 was originally constructed for the development and qualification testing of the Vulcain® thrust chamber with its two cryogenic propellants, liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2). The ESA test facility P3.2 is a very important asset as it is the only test facility for thrust chambers of that thrust class in Europe. This high-pressure facility has allowed technology demonstration and verification of a variety of different thrust chambers and components using different propellants in the last years. GTD has built up a solution for the Measurement, Command and Control System which is 100% based on standard robust and reliable industrial products. In spite of the specific solutions developed at Lampoldshausen in the past and more generally on the Space market, this solution will ensure the long term maintainability while reducing costs and risks during development. This project represents a technical challenge for DLR and GTD teams to integrate this new system smoothly within an already existing facility and improving the performances and the availability of the test results for the DLR customers and users of this crucial European ESA test facility. The new control system integrates high frequency measurement acquisition solutions (i.e., acquisition of several signals each at 10 µs), around 1.000 low frequency measurement acquisitions, deterministic Ethernet networks (Ethercat), safety systems dedicated to automatically avoid any risk on human beings, the facility itself, and the environment. Usability and ergonomics are also key requirements and therefore our teams will work in close cooperation to define a system fully adapted to the testing operations. GTD is proud and grateful to DLR and ESA for this new opportunity. The schedule of the project represents as well a challenge since it is foreseen to become operative in the middle of 2021. Figure 2 GTD team during the site visit The DLR-Institute of Space Propulsion in Lampoldshausen represents a new customer for GTD and we expect the beginning of a long-term fruitful collaboration with such an amazing project.
