Design and realization of thrust measurement system for high altitude testing of cryogenic rocket engine

In order to launch a heavier payload and to place a satellite into the planned orbit correctly, it is necessary to get the exact evaluation of the engine performance. It is important in the developmental testing of rockets to determine the effect of nozzle design, fuel/propellant mixtures, additives and changing other parameters of the engine system on performance. In order to better simulate the rocket engine operating environment, high altitude testing of cryogenic engine is necessary before flying. The most important parameters required to evaluate a rocket engine performance are thrust and rate of propellant consumption. In this work, a thrust measurement system was designed to measure the propulsion performance of a cryogenic rocket engine. The design, selection, realization, in-place calibration, usage and test results are presented.