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Space
More than 50?years of contribution to the conquest of space
From cryogenics to space exploration
As a full stakeholder in, and partner of the scientific community, Air?Liquide has a permanent commitment to the development and optimization of cryogenic equipment. It supports the space industry at two levels: the design and manufacture of cryogenic tanks and equipment, and the production of industrial gases, backed up by the provision of associate services.
On-site at launch sites
Air?Liquide maintains a presence on the launch bases of Kourou in French Guiana, Cape Canaveral (Florida) for the NASA, and Tanegashima in Japan. For every firing, our teams produce and supply the propulsion and inerting fluids for the launchers.
In addition to supplying gases, Air?Liquide equipment –?like the HYLIAL? hydrogen liquefier?– provides on-site gas production, storage and distribution facilities.
The heavy lifters: the launchers
In conjunction with its subsidiary, Air?Liquide advanced Technologies, and Euro Cryospace (a strategic partnership between Air?Liquide and Airbus Defence and Space), Air?Liquide is involved at every point from the design of launchers’ cryogenic tanks of the Ariane program through to their integration to the systems. As a proactive contributor to advanced technology research alongside the CNES (the French national space agency) and ESA (the European Space Agency), Air?Liquide has contributed to every evolution of the Ariane launcher, from Ariane?1 to Ariane?5.
To ensure that the adventure continues, Air?Liquide is working with its partners to conceive and design the routes to progress that will lead to the space exploration projects of tomorrow. With this goal in mind, we are engaged in an ongoing strategy of innovation to roll back the frontiers of technology even further.
Orbital systems and satellites
In orbital cryogenics, the techniques developed by Air?Liquide can be used to meet a broad range of requirements:
- Preserving biological samples taken in space using the MELFI cold storage system onboard the International Space Station
- Cooling the infrared sensors fitted to satellites that observe the universe
- Storing superfluid helium at cryogenic temperatures for the Herschel satellite
- Cooling one of the scientific observation instruments of the Planck satellite with a dilution cooler
Air?Liquide is now engaged in developing technologies that will enable future missions to explore the solar system.
Unique test resources in Europe
When the Air?Liquide facility at Sassenage (Isère, France) was created in 1962, it included a testing center designed to test, inspect and qualify equipment for space applications. Thus every tank used in the generations of Ariane launchers have been tested at this center.
In 2011, a half-scale demonstrator of Ariane's cryogenic tanks was built here as part of the HX technology demonstration program commissioned by the CNES to develop new cryogenic technologies for future launch vehicles. The subsequent tests conducted using this HX demonstrator have successfully accredit 14?completely new technologies.
