First firing test of POD-Y

The Pressure Oscillation Demonstrator, or POD-Y, used to study combustion instability, was fired on 5 March, 2015 at the French military procurement agency test site in Saint Jean d’Illac, France.

Pressure oscillations that occur when a solid rocket motor is ignited could be reduced by a new propellant formula and monolithic (smooth internal) design.

The test lasted 22 seconds at a maximum pressure of 110 bars. It will enable experts to check modelled data against observed results from 38 sensors lining the inside of this reusable demonstrator.