Regal Rexnord brand Thomson supplied Elara Aerospace with precision linear-motion technology for its liquid-fueled Methalox rocket.
Elara Aerospace is an academically led initiative founded at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. Its team is working to become the first student group worldwide to develop a liquid-propelled rocket exceeding 100 km in altitude while being fully reusable with up to 100 kg of scientific experiments.
As part of a joint partnership with sister brands Boston Gear and Kollmorgen, Thomson is providing two Thomson PC Series precision linear actuators integrated with Kollmorgen AKM13D servomotors and dual-axis drive systems — along with Boston Gear Micron NemaTRUE planetary gearheads. Together, the components form a coordinated motion solution tailored to the application’s performance requirements.
More specifically, in the Elara rocket, the actuators allow engine gimbaling for controlled movement within a narrow ±5° operating range. The PC Series actuators were selected for their compact design, ballscrew-based construction, and accurate and repeatable motion in space-constrained applications.
“Every commanded movement [in rocket-control applications] must be predictable, measurable and easy to verify,” said Regal Rexnord’s Linear Motion Division business development manager Anders Karlsson. “For us, the value of this partnership is supplying components and helping Elara build confidence in the actuation approach before the system moves into flight use. Working closely with the team helped us ensure the motion package fits cleanly within the overall engine control architecture.”
The actuators were supplied as individual components so the Elara Aerospace team had flexibility in system design and testing. The motion system is currently being validated on development platforms for use in the rocket’s engine control system.
“For an academically led team working on active engine control, it was important for us to use components that were technically capable and practical,” said Elara Aerospace founder and CEO Tom Luca Reinhardt. “Thomson’s guidance gave us a clear path for the thrust vector control design without adding unnecessary complexity.”
Thomson | thomsonlinear.com
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