CRYOSTAR Project

Redefining safety for the hydrogen aircraft generation

GA No: 101251003

Start: 01.11.2025

Duration: 24 Months

A Clean Aviation Project

About

CRYOSTAR (Certification Roadmap to Yield an Optimal and Safety methodology of crashworthiness for an integrated cryogenic Tank for liquid hydrogen storAge on board of future aiRcraft)

CRYOSTAR aims to define and demonstrate an innovative certification-oriented methodology to ensure the crashworthiness of next-generation hydrogen-powered aircraft.
The project focuses on the integration of cryogenic liquid hydrogen (LH₂) tanks within the fuselage structure, addressing safety, containment integrity, and energy absorption in impact scenarios.

Through advanced simulation, experimental testing, and validation campaigns, CRYOSTAR will deliver design and verification guidelines for structural components, materials, and interfaces. The project supports the Clean Aviation objectives towards climate-neutral air transport, enabling the safe introduction of hydrogen technologies while maintaining aircraft weight efficiency and structural performance.

Objectives

Crashworthiness methodology

CRYOSTAR develops a comprehensive crashworthiness framework for cryogenic LH₂ storage systems, combining numerical modeling, material characterization, and full-scale testing.
The methodology integrates multi-physics simulation of impact and rupture dynamics with experimental validation, defining safety margins, certification criteria, and assessment procedures for hydrogen containment and energy dissipation under crash loads.

Cryogenic LH₂ tank demonstration

The project will design, manufacture, and test a demonstrator of an integrated cryogenic tank installed within an aircraft-representative structure. Ground validation activities will provide quantitative data to support future certification standards, verifying containment performance, structural resilience, and post-crash hydrogen management. The outcomes will pave the way for safe deployment of liquid hydrogen technologies in next-generation regional and commercial aircraft.