Hot-Fire
Test Facilities

P1 Test Facility
P2 Test Facility
P3 Test Facility
P3 Extension

Test Support

P3 Test Facility, Lampoldshausen, Germany.

Test facility for hot - firing large rocket engines using cryogenic propellants.

ESA P3 Test Facility

The P3 facility is used for the sea level hot-fire testing of large liquid propellant rocket engines using cryogenic propellants. The P2 facility is an ESA asset under the responsibility of Astrium.

• Data acquisition
• Control system
• Safety system (ESS)
• Propellant capacity
  - LOX run tank 4500 litre at 400 bar
  - LH2 run tank 12000 litre at 400 bar
  - LOX storage 30000 litre at 10 bar
  - LH2 storage 35000 litre at 10 bar

Data Acquisition

• 350 analogue channels for static pressure, temperature, flow rate etc
• 400 digital input channels
• 28 channel tape recorder for dynamic pressure, accelerometers
• 32 channel online recording for dynamic pressure, accelerometers

Control System

• 400/208 digital input/output lines
• 16 analogue channels for DDC
• 96 analogue channels for RT-S
• Two independent PLC's for emergency functions

Typical Activities

• Thrust chamber / engine development tests for launch vehicles and their upper stages
• Turbopump integration and test
• P3.1 and P3.2 maintenance, on behalf of ESA
• Spares handling for all ESA- facility HP and VHP components
• Integration of special applications for cryogenic propellants

Test Programmes

• Vulcain 1 thrust chamber development: 1988 - 1991
• Vulcain 1 thrust chamber qualification: 1992 - 1994
• Modification of P3 for the Vinci thrust chamber tests: Jan 2003
• Vinci thrust chamber test: 2003

Contact for Further Information