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Advancing the future of reusable launcher technologies

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SALTO webinar: Advancing the future of reusable launcher technologies
  • Advancing Reusable Rocket Technologies

Propellant Tanks, Retropropulsion Testing and Green Propulsion Innovations in the SALTO Project

  • For whom: professionals, experts, students, space enthusiasts

  • Time: 26 June, 2026, 10:00 - 11:30 CET

  • Where: Webex

WEBINAR COMPLETED

SALTO Webinar No 3 Speaker spotlights

Agenda. Presentations. Experts.

As Europe advances towards the next generation of reusable space transportation systems, the SALTO Horizon Europe project is bringing together leading expertise to develop, test and validate key technologies enabling reusable launch vehicles. This webinar will provide an inside look into critical engineering developments supporting future reusable rockets — from launcher tank architecture and thermal protection challenges to retro-propulsion testing and sustainable propulsion solutions.

Launcher tank: the storage of propellant (concept, functionality and design)

Sebastien Drulhon
Project Manager at MT Aerospace

The presentation provides an overview of tank functionality and design, including the role of a tank in a launcher, different tank concepts and their applications, tanks in reusable launchers with a focus on the objectives of the SALTO/Themis program, and the SALTO tank concept.

About speaker

Graduated as Dipl. Ing. Génie Systèmes Industriels, France (equivalent to M.Sc.). Project Manager in automation, automotive, and aerospace. Customer Relationship Manager for friction welding solutions. Project Manager for Ground Facilities and Services Program.

Moritz Ellerbeck
System Engineer at MT Aerospace
About speaker

Moritz Ellerbeck holds a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the Technical University of Munich. Until 2017, he worked at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg as Lead Systems Engineer and Project Manager, focusing on sounding rocket systems and propulsion development. Since 2018, he has been working at MT Aerospace as Senior Systems Engineer, covering space transportation – to-space, in-space, and from-space – as well as new space business development.

Sebastien Drulhon
Moritz Ellerbeck_
MT-aerospace

Wind tunnel tests of SALTO launcher retropropulsion and Thermal Protection System

Pawel Goldyn
Research Scientist at DLR
Presentation of the wind tunnels
Experiments in the wind tunnels:
  • TMK retropropulsion measurements,
  • L2K high-enthalpy TPS tests,
  • VMK hot-gas retropropulsion tests.
About speaker

M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from RWTH Aachen University. Since 2024 Research Scientist at the Supersonic and Hypersonic Technologies Department at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Design of Health Monitoring System for European inflatable heat shield aerodemonstrator ICARUS (work package lead). Aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics wind tunnel tests for the ICARUS Aerodemonstrator. Preliminary design of reusable launcher configurations. Satellite re-entry demise flight dynamics and aerothermodynamics analyses.

Pawel Goldyn
DLR

Green propellant thruster development for SALTO and its test results

Ulrich Gotzig
Emeritus Expert Orbital Propulsion and R&T Manager Alternative Propellants at ArianeGroup

This presentation provides:

  • Background / SALTO System
  • Heritage and basic sizing
  • Design description
  • Structural analysis and tests
  • Hot firing test and results
About speaker

Graduated as Dipl. Ing. Aerospace Engineering Technical University of Stuttgart in 1990 (equivalent to University M.Sc.). Since 2012 Lecturer for Space Propulsion at national and International Universities. Development and production of classical, hydrazine based mono – and bipropellant thrusters in a thrust range between 50mN up to 27kN. Responsible for the development of green engines and systems working alternative fuels: H2O2 based, ADN based, N2O based, green hypergolic bipropellants, water propulsion. Member of the 3AF / IAC / IAF Space Propulsion Technical Committees.

Ulrich Gotzig
arianegroup