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The first full-size drop-test model of the European Space Agency\u2019s reusable spacecraft Space Rider at\u00a0the Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA) in Capua, Italy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The drop-test model was built in Craiova, Romania, at Romania\u2019s National Institute for Aerospace Research \u2018Elie Carafoli\u2019 (INCAS) before being shipped to CIRA. CIRA is responsible for the design, integration, and implementation of the drop test.<\/p>\n
Space Rider is ESA\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Roughly the size of a mini-van, the drop-test model is a full-size stand-in for the 4.6-m long reentry module, Space Rider lands on skis with the landing gear permanently open on this model as the mechanism is not part of the drop test.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n