Future Launchers Preparatory Programme
Encyclopedia
The Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP) is a European Space Agency
(ESA) program that aims to develop a "Next Generation Launcher" carrier rocket as a successor to Ariane 5
. The program began in February 2004, and the NGL is foreseen to become operational around the year 2020. A secondary aim of the FLPP is to enhance the reliability and competitiveness of ESA launchers, including those operational today.
an launcher technology development activities and steer the restructuring of the European launcher industrial sector, optimizing the use of available resources, and leading to more cost-effective launchers.
activities to foster new technology capabilities within Europe
. The following types of technology activities are foreseen;
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
(ESA) program that aims to develop a "Next Generation Launcher" carrier rocket as a successor to Ariane 5
Ariane 5
Ariane 5 is, as a part of Ariane rocket family, an expendable launch system used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit or low Earth orbit . Ariane 5 rockets are manufactured under the authority of the European Space Agency and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales...
. The program began in February 2004, and the NGL is foreseen to become operational around the year 2020. A secondary aim of the FLPP is to enhance the reliability and competitiveness of ESA launchers, including those operational today.
Expectations
The FLPP is expected to harmonise EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an launcher technology development activities and steer the restructuring of the European launcher industrial sector, optimizing the use of available resources, and leading to more cost-effective launchers.
Current status
Presently the program is divided into periods: the first covering 2004 to 2006 and the second from 2006 to 2009. During these periods, the FLPP will conduct technologyTechnology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
activities to foster new technology capabilities within Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The following types of technology activities are foreseen;
- system studies
- ground tests
- in-flight tests e.g. the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXVIXVThe Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle is a European Space Agency experimental re-entry vehicle intended to validate European reusable launchers which could be evaluated in the frame of the FLPP program. The IXV development would be carried out under the leadership of the NGL Prime SpA company...
)