Space Rider LHP development. Design, qualification and first results

Space Rider is a reusable uncrewed orbital spaceplane from European Space Agency (ESA), designed and developed by Thales Alenia Space as prime contractor. The system design for the reusable Re-entry Module (RM) requires a set of 2 pairs of Loop Heat Pipes (LHP) to remove heat load from the Payloads contained in the Multi Purpose Cargo Bay (MPCB) via a double deployable radiator door enabling a power dissipation up to 600 W. Considering the RM need of performing multiple flights, the LHPs will see a variety of environments (multiple launches, deployments, stowage and re-entry phases) which differ from a common Space LHP product. This development comes from a previous collaboration between Thales Alenia Space and Arquimea Space, the deployable radiator from European Horizon 2020 Pegasus program. However, due to the special requirements of Space Rider, this project introduces a new evaporator and condenser design, as well as a dedicated design of flexible lines, making the LHP a reliable system able to withstand multiple dynamic vibration phases and the thermal environments. The design with its key driving requirements, the development plan and the first results of the qualification model are presented.