The European Space Agency’s (ESA) reusable Prometheus rocket engine, which can produce about 220,000 lbs of thrust (100 metric tons-force), has just completed a series of ground tests for future space missions.

France-based aerospace firm ArianeGroup built the methane-oxygen engine, which was tested on Thursday, October 29, 2026. The ground trials took place at the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) upgraded P5 test site in Lampoldshausen. 

During the campaign, Prometheus was ignited multiple times in a single day and reached stable operating conditions after each ignition. It also proved it could start without a separate starter system. This, as per ArianeGroup, was a European first for a gas-generator-cycle engine in its thrust class. 

“Reusability is more important than ever in space transportation,” Philippe Clar, head of Space Transportation Programs at ArianeGroup, pointed out. The tests also included a combustion chamber produced using a new 3D-printing process. 

According to DLR, the latest campaign marked a first for its P5 facility, which had never previously achieved repeated methane-oxygen engine ignitions in a single test day. The upgraded site can now handle not only up to five ignitions per day but also longer engine burns and different thrust levels.

Anja Frank, head of the DLR Institute of Space Propulsion, emphasized the significance of the achievement. “Up to five ignitions in a single test day place high demands on the coordination of the test stand systems,” Frank said.

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