ENGINEERINGNET.EU -- With no atmosphere on the Moon, Lunar Lander cannot rely on parachutes to slow its descent. Instead, the craft will need to fire its engines in a rather unconventional way.
One of these thrusters was recently put through its paces at Astrium’s specialised facility in Lampoldshausen, Germany.
The test chamber was configured to reproduce the vacuum and temperatures that Lunar Lander will face on its way down to the Moon’s surface. A complete descent and touchdown was simulated, with the thruster firing in a series of short bursts, reaching a white-hot 1100ºC.
To save the cost of developing a new engine, ESA engineers looked to the tried-and-tested thrusters of Europe’s proven Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) space ferry.
ATV has already completed two fully automated missions to the International Space Station, delivering supplies and boosting the complex to a higher orbit.
According to ESA’s Bérengère Houdou, the results are positive: “The thruster operations were smooth and stable, with great performance, even under the stress of Lunar Lander’s operating conditions.”
(picture: ESA)
