MEYER supplies high-pressure composite vessels and pressure regulators to launch vehicle programs — from microlaunchers to small-launch and orbital systems.
For launch vehicle engineers, dry mass on the upper stage equals payload to orbit. Our composite cylinders (HDRX series) and high-pressure regulators (HDRX-R450) are engineered to deliver among the lightest qualified solutions for pressurant storage and regulation.
Why launch vehicle teams choose MEYER
- Pressure ratings up to 700 bar for helium and nitrogen pressurant storage
- Up to 70% mass savings vs all-metal vessels; up to 45% lighter than Type 3 COPVs of equivalent capacity
- Custom geometry — cylindrical, spherical, or conformal to fit available envelope
- Burst pressures designed to program specification
- Heritage with operational orbital launch programs
Lead times
- Regulator prototypes: 3–5 months
- Custom COPVs: 12–24 months from concept to qualification
Ready to start?
Tell us about your project — our engineers will respond with feasibility, ballpark specs, and timing.
Mass on the upper stage = payload to orbit
For launch vehicle integrators, dry mass on the upper stage trades 1:1 against payload mass to orbit. Pressurant storage and regulation is one of the densest areas to attack: an all-metal helium tank can be 50–80 kg where a Type IV equivalent is 15–25 kg. That delta translates directly into kilograms of additional payload — and on small launchers, 5–10 kg of payload can be the difference between commercial viability and not.
Pressurant systems we have shipped
- Helium pressurant tanks for upper-stage propellant tank pressurisation — 200–700 bar working, 5–50 L typical capacity.
- Nitrogen ACS tanks for attitude control in cold-gas reaction control systems on small launchers.
- Composite GG (gas-generator) tanks for ignition and start-up sequence pressurant.
- Custom geometry vessels — cylindrical, spherical, or conformal — fitted to envelope constraints in the avionics bay or interstage.
Qualification for orbital launch
Launch programs typically run their own qualification campaign on top of commercial standards (ISO 11119-3, EN 12245). Expect dynamic loads testing, thermal vacuum, leak rate measurement, fracture mechanics demonstration, and traceability of materials lots back to the mill. ECSS-E-ST-32-02C is the European space structural standard most commonly applied; NASA-STD-6016 is the US equivalent. Specify the target programme at RFQ — the qualification scope drives lead time and cost more than the part itself.
