The European Space Agency’s reusable spacecraft Space Rider completed a second round of drop tests last week at the Salto di Quirra testing range in Sardinia, Italy.
Models of Space Rider’s reentry module were dropped from a CH-47 Chinook Italian Army helicopter from altitudes ranging from 3,281ft to 8,202ft (1-2.5km). The two-week campaign tested the spacecraft’s parachute chain and paraglider guidance, navigation and control algorithms.
Space Rider’s maiden launch is planned for 2027. It is being built by Thales Alenia Space and Italian aerospace firm Avio. It is a reusable transportation system designed to enable pharmaceutical research, in-orbit manufacturing and orbital platform visits.
The spacecraft will remain in Earth orbit for up to three months before returning through the atmosphere to precision-land on skids after a paraglider descent.
“This ambitious target is a remarkable achievement for Europe and is a world-first for precision landing under parafoil,” said the ESA. The test model achieved landing accuracy within 492ft (150m) of the target.
Space Rider parafoil after landing (Image: ESA)The drop-test campaign had two primary objectives: qualification of the parachutes used to slow the spacecraft during descent, and testing the software that controls the parafoil guidance system. Three descent-system drop-tests were performed, successfully deploying the parachute sequence from drogue to parafoil.
When Space Rider returns from orbit, it will be traveling over six times faster than the speed of sound and experience temperatures exceeding 2,912°F (1,600°C) as the reentry module encounters atmospheric molecules. The parachute system includes a circular drogue chute that opens just below the speed of sound for initial braking, and a pilot chute used to deploy the large parafoil at 16,404ft (5km) altitude.
Three closed-loop drop tests were also successfully performed using a metal pallet equipped with measurement devices, control avionics, two winches to pull the parafoil’s steering lines, a canister to store the packed chutes and concrete ballast to match the weight of Space Rider’s reentry module.
Once released from the helicopter, this test model descended autonomously until touchdown, relying solely on its sensors and actuators without any ground control. The model flew for 12 minutes from 8,202ft (2.5km) altitude, with a vertical speed of 13.1ft/s (4m/s), landing at 6.6ft/s (2m/s).
The tests were made possible through collaboration between industry and the Italian defense sector. Thales Alenia Space Italia led the drop-test campaign as prime contractor for Space Rider and is responsible for the reentry module, with support from industrial partners Sener, CIMSA, Teseo and Meteomatics. The Italian Air Force and Army provided essential support for ground logistics and flight operations.
A system drop-test campaign featuring a full mockup of the reentry module will demonstrate overall landing and touchdown capabilities. This mockup will have the same weight, aerodynamic shape and landing gears as the operational spacecraft.
A final campaign will test landing stability by exploring worst-case scenarios of a Space Rider touchdown. For this test, another model with landing gear will be accelerated on a roller-coaster-like rig and dropped onto a landing site to ensure that landing does not subject scientific payloads to excessive shocks.
Space Rider is designed for quick turnaround, undergoing six months of maintenance between missions before returning to space for additional experiments.
