ESA prepares 1st reusable Space Rider for re-entry and landing
European Space Agency (ESA) is almost ready to launch Space Rider, its first reusable spacecraft.
This uncrewed vehicle can hang out in low Earth orbit for up to two months, making it perfect for microgravity experiments and bringing research or cargo safely back home.
Right now, engineers are ironing out the final details on how Space Rider will survive re-entry and land smoothly.
Thermal tests precede Sardinia runway landing
To make sure Space Rider can handle the heat, literally, ESA put its thermal protection system through extreme tests, blasting ceramic parts with 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit plasma and even damaging them on purpose to check their toughness.
Up next: a drop-test model will try runway-style landings in Sardinia later this year, which ESA says is a big step toward proving Europe's first reusable spacecraft is both sturdy and precise.