Focus on Prosial®: withstanding extreme launch temperatures 06-25-2020 |  4 minutes

We use several materials that are highly specific to the field of aerospace – here are some facts and figures about one of them: Prosial®

Prosial® is an ultra-light ablative highly effective silicon-based insulant used to protect the parts of a launcher’s surface most at risk of heat damage during its mission. It is spray-layered onto parts, making it particularly suitable for treating complex-geometry pieces.

The thickness of the Prosial® coating applied to the various parts of the rocket to protect them against aerothermal flux during launch and flight ranges from a very fine millimetre to a robust two centimeters.

Prosial® enables the parts of Ariane 5 – and soon of Ariane 6 – to withstand incredibly high temperatures.

Every Ariane 5 that takes off carries around a metric ton of Prosial® (on the boosters and the cryogenic main stage).

Not only is Prosial® hyper-effective, but it is also extremely durable, with a 20-year lifecycle.

Ariane 64, the four-booster Ariane 6, will carry hundreds of parts protected by Prosial® on its boosters, core stage, and upper stage.

200 m² of the Ariane 64 launcher’s surface is coated with Prosial®.