SANTA MARIA / LONDON (IT BOLTWISE) – The European Space Agency (ESA) plans the first flight of its reusable Space Rider spacecraft for 2028. The Space Rider is intended to carry technological demonstrations and scientific payloads into orbit for up to two months and then return safely to Earth. This mission marks a significant step in European space technology.
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The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced that the first flight of its Space Rider reusable spacecraft is scheduled for 2028. The Space Rider is an eight-meter-long spacecraft designed to carry technology demonstrations and scientific payloads into orbit for up to two months before returning safely to Earth. The vehicle uses a controllable paraglider to enable precise landings, allowing for easy recovery, overhaul and reuse.
At the contract signing between ESA and the Portuguese Space Agency on November 27 to establish the Santa Maria Space Hub, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher announced that Space Rider’s first flight is scheduled for 2028. Santa Maria, as the program’s designated landing site, will form a significant part of the vehicle’s ground infrastructure. According to program manager Dante Galli, the flight is expected in the first half of 2028. A key milestone is the final drop test, now scheduled for February or March next year due to expected adverse weather conditions and military test site activities.
All flight hardware components have already been manufactured and are awaiting integration or are in verification testing. Progress towards a flight-ready vehicle is therefore expected to be achieved ahead of the expected launch date in less than three years. A decisive factor in the timing of the first flight is the availability of the Vega C launch vehicle, particularly the variant with the more powerful P160C booster, which has not yet flown.
Although a demonstration mission, Space Rider’s first flight will carry commercial payloads, with 18 customers having already signed letters of intent with ESA to secure a place on board the mission. These customers received a discounted fare for the inaugural flight and several have already expressed interest in booking additional missions, signaling a clear path to commercialization of the vehicle. ESA will act as the end-to-end operator for the first flight of Space Rider. Following the recovery and overhaul of the vehicle, part of the mission funded with contributions from the ESA Council of Ministers, the vehicle will be handed over to a commercial operator. The exact path to commercialization has not yet been finalized, but the agency is currently in discussions with two companies that could serve as commercial operators of the Space Rider.
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