A model of Space Rider about to be dropped from a helicopter as part of autonomous landing tests, June 2025, at the Italian military Salto di Quirra testing range, a training and experimentation area in Sardinia, Italy.
Space Rider is ESA’s reuseable spacecraft in development. It will be about the size of two minivans and will allow for many kinds of missions, ranging from pharmaceutical research to in-orbit manufacturing, visiting orbital platforms and more. After staying in Earth orbit for up to three months, Space Rider will return through our atmosphere to precision-land on skids after a paraglider descent.
Space Rider has been tested at the Salto di Quirra testing range (Poligono Interforze del Salto di Quirra – PISQ), in Sardinia, Italy, as part of a drop-test campaign to check flight-control algorithms that guide the reentry module on its own to a target landing point.
The closed-loop drop-test model consisted of 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 a concrete ballast for the model to meet the weight of Space Rider’s Reentry Module.
A CH-47 Chinook Italian Army helicopter dropped Space Rider from altitudes ranging from 1 to 2.5 km, the test model descended autonomously until touchdown on ground, relying solely on its on-board sensors and actuators, without any control from ground. The test campaign demonstrated that Space Rider will be able to land gently on the ground down to an accuracy of just 150 metres: this ambitious target is a remarkable achievement for Europe and represents a world-first for a precision landing under parafoil. The model flew for 12 minutes from 2.5 km above to the ground, with a controlled vertical speed of 4 m/s, landing at 2 m/s, controlled by the parafoil system.
The activities were possible through a strong collaboration between industry and the Italian defence sector. This drop-test campaign was led by Thales Alenia Space Italia, prime contractor for Space Rider and responsible for the reentry module, with strong support from industrial partners Sener, CIMSA, Teseo and Meteomatics. The Italian Air Force and Army played a key role, providing essential support for ground logistics and flight operations including access to the Salto di Quirra testing range, to support the successful execution of the trials.