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Faces of Ariane 6: Romain Gauthier, motor-pump/turbopump technical manager for APU 08-25-2021 | 2 minutes
Suite
We continue our series of Faces of Ariane 6 portraits, here with people who play a role in the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) for the Ariane 6 upper stage, which has just completed its qualification campaign
“I’m proud to have been part of the incredible Ariane 6 adventure. These first years in my career have been incredibly exciting, from pre-projects to delivery of initial flight-ready components!”
What is your role in the delivery of the first APU?
As technical manager, I was responsible for delivery of the APU motor-pumps, overseeing their design, manufacture, assembly and testing.
What was the biggest challenge you faced?
The main challenge was to prepare and deliver the motor-pumps, while at the same time completing qualification of these pumps and the APU by means of functional bench testing on our site in Vernon, near Paris. The product had to be adjusted according to the latest results obtained during the qualification tests.
What is your best memory?
The first tests of the motor-pumps, then of the complete APU system, a mere two years after the project kicked off.
This interview is part of our ongoing Faces of Ariane 6 series. All the interviews are available on our LinkedIn page.
