 LM-10 MIRA model at Le Bourget | |
| Country of origin |  Italy |
|---|---|
| Designer | Avio,KBKhA |
| Manufacturer | Avio |
| Application | Upper stage |
| AssociatedLV | Vega |
| Predecessor | RD-0146 |
| Status | Under development |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | LOX /CH4 |
| Mixture ratio | 3.4 |
| Cycle | Expander, closed |
| Pumps | 2 |
| Configuration | |
| Chamber | 1 |
| Nozzle ratio | 40 |
| Performance | |
| Thrust | 98 kN (22,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 362 s (3.55 km/s) |
| Restarts | 7 |
| Gimbal range | ±10° |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) |
| Diameter | 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) |
| Dry mass | 250 kg (550 lb) |
| Used in | |
| Vega-E | |
| References | |
| Notes | [1][2][3] |
MR10 (previously known asM10 andLM10-MIRA) is aliquid-fuel,upper-stage rocket engine in development[update] byAvio on behalf ofEuropean Space Agency for use onVega E. The engine is a derivative of the RussianRD-0146 engine and result of a past collaboration betweenAvio andChemical Automatics Design Bureau (KBKhA) ended in 2014[4][5] after the start of theRusso-Ukrainian War and consequenteconomic sanctions.[6] On May 6, 2022 engine testing campaign started atSalto di Quirra,Sardinia,[7] with consequent maiden flight on aVega E launcher expected by 2026 fromGuiana Space Centre.[8] The designation "M10" reflects key characteristics of the motor: "M" stands for "methane", referencing itsliquid methane fuel; and "10" denoting the original target of 10 tonnes of thrust. The engine was renamed the MR10 in September 2024 in honour of the late Mikhail Rudnykh, who had served as Avio's head of cryogenic propulsion systems and led the engine's development.[9]
TheMR10 engine is the first operational Europeanmethane rocket engine, conceived for use on upper stages of future Vega-E and Vega-E Light launchers, in which will replace both the solid-fueled Zefiro 3rd stage and hydrazine-fueledAVUM 4th upper stage. An industrial team directed byAvio with companies ofAustria,Belgium,France,Czech Republic,Romania andSwitzerland will manufacture the engine. The MR10 minimum thrust requirements are a thrust of 98 kN (22,000 lbf) with a propellant mixture ratio of 3.4 and a minimum specific impulse of 362s.[1][10]
A feasibility study on improving Vega began in 2004, when the rocket was still in development, with the aim of increase performance, reduce costs and move away from toxichydrazine fuels. The study proposed a new three-stage version of the rocket named Lyra with a liquid oxygen-methane upper stage. In 2007Avio andKBKhA started the collaboration for the development of such an engine under an agreement signed betweenItalian andRussian governments inMoscow on November 28, 2000. The first phase of the collaboration, ended in 2008, aimed at designing a concept for a 10t thrustLOx-LNG engine. The second phase of the collaboration focused instead on designing, manufacturing and testing a 7.5t thrust LM10-MIRA demonstrator engine. The engine was successfully tested in June 2014 inVoronezh,Russia.[5]
After the end of the collaboration with KBKhA, Avio continued the development of MR10 under the Vega-Evolution program returning to the original target thrust of 10t. Objectives were finalizing development of main subsystems such asturbopumps,valves,igniter,thrust vectoring and a newALM 3D printedThrust Chamber Assembly (TCA).[2] A subscale model of the TCA was tested successfully on 13 November 2018 inColleferro, Italy.[11]
In February 2020 a full scale engine prototype with a 3D printed TCA was successfully tested atNASAMarshall Space Flight Center, firing 19 times for a total of 450 seconds.[12]
On May 6 2022, the engine test and qualification campaign started in Avio's new Space Propulsion Test Facility (SPTF) at the Salto di Quirra with a single firing of 20 seconds.[7] The first series of testing concluded successfully in July 2022 with a total ignition time of more than 800 seconds.[13]
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