RocketSens

The funded collaboration with the defense company Bayern Chemie aims at the study and development of photonic sensors, primarily based on polymer optical fibers, to identify innovative and reliable solutions for monitoring the condition of solid-fuel rockets. The development of the sensors will focus on monitoring the mechanical and structural parameters of the solid fuel and its surrounding casing, as well as tracking other parameters of the immediate environment of the solid fuel, such as temperature, humidity, and ammonia concentration.

The research project will be carried out in close collaboration with Bayern Chemie and MBDA Missile Systems, through the application of the developed photonic sensors on prototype solid-fuel samples and subsequently on operational missile systems, with the goal of demonstrating high-technology readiness level solutions of at least TRL-6.

The cost of developing and manufacturing the prototype systems, as well as their operational characterization using the optical sensors, will be borne by Bayern Chemie’s own funding. Part of the project implementation will take place at the company’s facilities in Germany.