Low cost high thrust propulsion for European strategic space launchers – technologies maturation including ground tests
Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
Cost reduction and improving flexibility of European launch systems are the main challenges in order to foster European industry competitiveness on the global market.
The propulsion systems represent a significant part of launch system costs. It is necessary to mature new or optimised low cost effective (lower number of parts, better operability), high performance (high thrust to weight ratio, high specific impulse) and green propulsion concepts, technologies and propellants for high thrust engines.
Detailed Call Description
The activities should address maturation of enabling technologies, building blocks, tools and processes including maintenance/overhaul and safety, up to TRL5/6 and subsystem tests including prototyping and integrated tests at subsystems level.
The matured technologies, building blocks, tools and processes should be applicable to strategic launchers able to launch EU Space Programme components, with the objective of enabling operational capacities by 2030 and preferably earlier for current launch solutions. The tests should be appropriate to this objective.
The proposed activities must also support EU non-dependence objective and include the assessment of costs reduction investigations and test results towards the overarching objective mentioned in the expected outcomes. The activities should include as many as technologies possible in each area to maximise the number of matured technologies to be submitted to integrated tests at subsystem level (all technologies together).
The activities will address one or several of the following areas:
- low cost propulsion,
- throttability,
- reduced number of parts with extensive application of Additive manufacturing, or new composite technologies
- maintenance/overhaul,
- associated fluidics,
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
100%
EU contribution per project: between €15,00 and €19,00 million
Thematic Categories
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
Eligibility For Participation Notes
- Some activities, resulting from this topic, may involve using classified background and/or producing of security sensitive results (EUCI and SEN).
- Participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom.
The eligibility of entities established in the UK to participate is conditional upon reciprocity of access to equivalent UK programmes for entities established in Member States, which will be assessed by the Commission as soon as such programmes are established and in any event before the signature of the grant agreements. Should the UK not open the participation in its relevant programmes to entities established in Member States, this condition would not be met and entities established in the UK will not be eligible to participate in this topic.
(Further details in the work programme)
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Research and Innovation Foundation
29a Andrea Michalakopoulou Street, 1075 Nicosia
T.Th. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
+357 22205000
Email: support@research.org.cy
Dr Angelos Ntantos
Scientific Officer
Telephone: 35722205033
Email: antantos@research.org.cy
Dr Ioannis Theodorou
Scientific Officer
Telephone: 35722205038
Email: itheodorou@research.org.cy
(Publish Date: 06/12/2021-for internal use only)
EU Contact Point
Εuropean Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/research-and-innovation_en#contact