Ansys has partnered with space logistics start-up The Exploration Company to develop its reusable space vehicle, Nyx, via the Ansys Startup Program.
Nyx will feature a methane-based propulsion system designed to withstand extreme loads and high thermal and pressure variables. This is hoped to reduce pollutants and extend travel capabilities.
More predictively accurate landings are also predicted to take place due to methane-based systems being easier to navigate.
Traditional turbo engines rely on fossil fuels that create challenges when it comes to sustainability, and limits deeper space exploration compared with methane propulsion engines.
Nyx is designed to carry cargo to and from the Moon and space stations to deliver technologies for research projects, free fly around Earth, re-fuel in orbit, and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere before beginning its next mission.
The Exploration Company used Ansys Fluent and Ansys Mechanical to optimise engine and propellant pump design. It also used Thermal Desktop for Nyx’s thermal design and Ansys Granta for the sourcing and managing of material data, reducing material costs and lowering risks.
Its engineers used Ansys to correlate simulation results with real-world data without actually going into space, reducing costs and time.
“Through the Ansys Startup Program, we can answer critical design questions in the early stages of our engine development,” said lead propulsion engineer Sebastien Reichstadt. “Only with Ansys simulation can we ensure that the propulsion systems of Nyx will meet the stringent requirements of spaceflight and reusability.”
The Exploration Company have made the building blocks used to create Nyx available to other aerospace companies to encourage the building of more electric-powered space travel.
