On November 13th, a scaled prototype of the new M10 liquid oxygen-methane engine was successfully tested in Colleferro Avio. The engine has been developed by Avio in partnership with the European Space Agency in the framework of the Vega E program and will be the upper stage propulsion engine of the Vega launcher from 2024, replacing the second and third stages (Z9 and Avum) of the current configuration.

The M10 engine - the first European methane engine and stage - opens the way to a new generation of launchers for both propulsion efficiency and environmental sustainability, thereby increasing the competitiveness of European small launchers.

At the nominal point and steady state, the engine has to provide 98kN thrust, maintaining a mixture ratio (oxidizer to fuel mass ratio) of 3.4. The fuel and oxidizer flow rates to be injected into the combustion chamber are controlled by the regulator valve (RV) and the throttle valve (TV), allowing direct control of chamber pressure and mixture ratio respectively (more information available here).

Avio has recently awarded GMV a contract concerning this specific engine in the framework of the VEGA-E program. The VUSEC (Vega Upper Stage Engine Controller) project has the main goal of specifying and prototyping a controller for the engine actuation valves during the start-up, steady-state and shut-down sequences, with the objective of maximising system performances. Indeed, introducing real-time measurements in the control system can extend the operational envelope of the engine by making it more robust as regards external disturbances. The controller, under design at GMV, uses sensor measurements at the injectors to link this information to thrust and mixture ratio performances.

After validating the control process, the next step for GMV will be to implement the control logic within a dedicated processing board. This will make it possible to validate the controller in a real-time representative environment, paving the way for exciting future developments.

This stimulating project gives GMV the chance to strengthen its already well-established collaboration with AVIO and consolidate its participation in the internationally recognised Vega program.