ARIS (Akademische Raumfahrt Initiative Schweiz)

ARIS - Where visions and people grow

ARIS (Akademische Raumfahrt Initiative Schweiz) combines and promotes space exploration, hands-on project work and personal development. Students are encouraged to take responsibility and to define and implement a vision. These are all qualities that future leaders, managers and engineers must live in order to successfully shape the future of the earth and space.

(Test bench | Source: ARIS)

Our role - Supporting visions

In order to realise technical visions, the support of industrial partners is often required, as well as the great curiosity and commitment of the teams involved. This is where we come in: Swagelok Switzerland has been supporting the ARIS project since 2018. Whether it is suitable components, assemblies, training, assembly support or the knowledge of our specialists in particular areas, it is of great importance to us to support research and development projects by encouraging young students to pursue their ideas.

Projects

The latest project is bi-liquid rocket propulsion: PROMETHEUS 

(Further development of LEA)

Show-Firing

We are proud that Swagelok tubes and fittings helped to meet the challenging requirements and ensure reliable and efficient fluid flow. We sincerely thank you for your confidence in Swagelok and our products, which contributed to the tight seal, efficient gas distribution and successful testing.

System design test stand | Quelle: ARIS

  
Hot Fire PROMETHEUS| Quelle: ARIS

We wish the entire ARIS team continued exceptional success for the further development of the PROMETHEUS liquid rocket engine and the associated test stand.

Liquid engine: LEA (2022)

Following a line of successful hybrid engine projects, ARIS is giving students the opportunity to explore the promising field of liquid engines. One of ARIS's most important projects is in fact LEA: the first liquid engine ever developed at ARIS.
Using cryogenic components, this project is the basis for a new generation of engines that will be developed in the years to come. LEA is innovative and offers the possibility of expanding research possibilities, collecting valuable data and facilitating the experimentation of new technologies and projects. In fact, it is not only the engine itself that is new, but also the mobile test bench built on which it is tested.

In contrast to previous projects, which carried out their tests inside containers, the test bench designed for LEA is an absolute innovation. It allows faster, easier and more local testing of both hybrid and liquid engines. These advantages were not present before, as the use of the container required it to be prepared on site, transported at great expense, and then accessed whenever a test was needed. The mobile test bench is undeniably a great advantage and is perfect for modular testing in the first design phase. In combination with our new data acquisition and control system, we will accelerate the development of future engine designs.

Swagelok closely supported the project helping the team to develop a new propellant supply system that could accommodate the need for two liquid propellants.

Some of the parts we supplied: stainless steel pipes, tube fittings, ball valves and pneumatic actuators, pressure reducers, safety relief valves, check valves, tube adapters and sample cylinders (Run tanks).

(Source: ARIS)

Previous projects: DAEDALUS (2021) and RHEA (2019) - hybrid rocket engine

DAEDALUS was an extremely important project for ARIS, as it developed and integrated a hybrid engine into the PICCARD, the first flying hybrid rocket of ARIS. The team created the conditions for ARIS to participate at the European Rocketry Challenge 2021 in the category '30k feet engine researched and developed by students'. In October 2021, DAEDALUS actually achieved at that time a world record with 21,325 feet, allowing the ARIS team to take the title for the highest flight of a student-developed hybrid rocket in this category. However, DAEDALUS was not the first project to develop a hybrid engine. Since the foundation of ARIS, it has been clear that commercial solid rocket engines are only a temporary solution. To go higher and faster, it would be necessary to develop an engine in-house. Therefore, the RHEA project was established in September 2018, with the aim of laying the foundation for ARIS's engine development.

Goal
Flight altitude 9000 m

Challenges
High pressure, precise control and flammable gases 

In 2019 Swagelok supported the RHEA project significantly in the area of its test infrastructure:

• Fluid Supply System (FSS)
• Test bench (Engine Compartment)

(Source: ARIS)

Swagelok components and solutions for hybrid rocket engine development

Projekt RHEA - Final Firing

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ARIS AND THEIR PROJECTS

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