ARCA

Asociatia Romana pentru Cosmonautica si Aeronautica (ARCA)

 The rocket engines are working at initial pressures ranging from 14 to 24 bars. First stage engine is working at an initial pressure of 24 bars. Nozzle expansion ratio is 38 for the first stage and 43 for the third stage.
HAAS is using the hybrid rocket propulsion. All stages are using Commercial Grade (CG) Hydrogen Peroxide and bitumen-based, high regression rate solid fuel. The specific impulse of the first stage is 245 seconds at launch altitude. Bitumen-based fuel was chosen because of its good regression rate. The high carbon percentage is not substantially affecting the combustion gasses molar mass (respectively the specific impulse) because of high percent of water present in the oxidizer.
Usually, a hybrid rocket engine burning chamber is long, because of the fuel regression rate dependence. In the case of HAAS, the rocket engines burning chambers are placed inside of the oxidizer tanks allowing a short overall length of the launcher.

 The launch will be made from the sea with the help of a large marine platform designed by ARCA. The launch location will be established further, but it is preferred to launch as close as possible from the Earth Equator. The rocket will be lifted from the sea using the world heaviest “0 pressure” balloon ever built. The distance between the balloon bottom and the rocket will be 200 m. The balloon and rocket will fly to an altitude of 18,000 m. At 18,000 m the rocket will start its first stage rocket engine for 100 sec. After engine cut-off, the first stage will be detached. Soon after, the rocket’s second stage will be ignited and it will burn for 110 sec. After the burn completion the second stage will be also detached.
The rocket’s third and last stage will be ignited and will burn for another 168 sec, putting the ELE into an elliptical LEO to an altitude of 140 km. At this altitude the rocket’s third stage will separate from the ELE probe.
ELE will start the stage E1 main engine at first orbit’s apogee for a V=260 m/s in order to circularize the orbit to an altitude of 250 km. After a short time spent in Earth orbit, ELE will ignite once again the E1 main engine that will increase vehicle’s speed to 11.2 km/s. After stage E1 fuel depletion the vehicle's rest ( E2 + E3/ELL) will be ejected on way to the Moon.

2009. The first Romanian downscaled space ship, HELEN, is ready to be launched into space. The Aeronautics and Cosmonautics Romanian Association (ARCA) are launching the vehicle above the Black Sea, with the support of the Romanian Military Marine. The event is likely to take about two hours, when a hot air solar balloon will be inflated and will take it to 14,000 meters altitude.
After these operations, the engines of the rocket's three steps will be initiated, which will propel it into the suborbital space. The final phase of the test will be to recover the vehicle transporting video and radio equipment from the Black sea.
The launching project is unique through a series of individual elements: the launch of a rocket with the help of a solar balloon, the use of ecological fuel (oxygenated water with a 70% concentration).
2010.The Association of Romanian Cosmonautics and Aeronautics (ARCA) has launched successfully on Oct. 1 the HELEN- 2 rocket. The balloon ascent took 40 minutes, to an altitude of 14,000 meters. At this altitude, the rocket was commanded to start the engine for 30 seconds, placing the it at an altitude of about 40,000 meters. That was followed by the re-entry into atmosphere of the launch elements, but the rocket capsule was not identified.
 

Development Program