The Prometheus engine. Photo: ESA.

ArianeGroup finalized the Prometheus engine demonstration’s Definition Review on Feb 1., with the support of European Space Agency (ESA), France’s National Center for Space Studies (CNES), and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

ESA awarded the contract to ArianeGroup in December 2017, which covers the design, construction, and testing of the first two examples of the very low cost engine demonstrator, which uses liquid oxygen and methane technology and is potentially reusable. Prometheus is a precursor of the future engines intended for use by Europe’s launchers by 2030. The technologies and industrial processes developed for this demonstrator program will also be used for the propulsion upgrades of Ariane 6.

The Definition Review of the program was held from Nov. 30, 2018 to Feb. 1 on ArianeGroup sites in France and Germany. It was carried out by ArianeGroup and ESA teams supported by experts from the French and German space agencies, CNES and DLR.