Metallic resonators currently degrade within seconds at operating temperatures near 1500 K. Si₃N₄ ceramics offer the thermal and chemical resilience required for operational lifetime. The project targets an ignition delay of ≤40 ms, ≥30 successful ignition cycles, and at least 2 minutes of accumulated burn duration.
DeltaOrbit leads the consortium, coordinating system design, CFD/FEM resonator geometry optimisation, and hot-fire verification on 500 N thrusters. Empa (Switzerland) develops new Si₃N₄ composite materials and additive manufacturing processes. Ceramdis GmbH (Switzerland) manufactures the ceramic resonators and will become the exclusive component supplier. The project advances the technology from TRL 4 to TRL 8 across nine work packages covering material development, manufacturing, testing, and technology transfer.
