ESTHER shock-tube - closer to become reality!

The past 4th May, assembly operations of the ESTHER shock-tube have been initiated at the Hypersonic Plasmas Laboratory.
Setofresa e Associados, the company in charge of manufacturing, delivered the remaining test-section shock-tube parts and proceeded to the test assembly with the support of the personnel from IPFN.
This marks the beginning of the final assembly phase of the new Portuguese facility for planetary exploration support, and will be followed by the delivery and assembly of the combustion chamber driver, one of the largest high-pressure combustion vessels in Europe.
Operational test trials will be iniciated by the beginning  of the summer, and will proceed troughout the fall of this year, with the facility getting operational by the end of 2018.