ESA signs deals for its first reusable transport spaceplane

The Guardian ^ | Tue 22 Dec 2020 01.00 EST | Stuart Clark

[BenLurkin]

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed contracts for its first reusable space transportation system. Known as Space Rider, it is a robotic laboratory about the size of a couple of eight-seater minivans.

ESA has signed two contracts. The first is for delivery of the spacecraft by co-prime contractors: Thales Alenia Space Italy and Avio. The second covers delivery of the ground segment (the infrastructure needed to launch and operate the Space Rider) by Italian co-prime contractors: Telespazio and Altec. Designed for launch on an ESA Vega-C rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, the Space Rider will stay in orbit for about two months. It will carry up to 800kg of experiments and technology demonstrations in its 1,200-litre cargo bay.

Following the flight, it will descend to Earth and land on a runway, either in Kourou or Santa Maria in the Azores. The experiments will then be unloaded and analysed and the spacecraft itself will be readied for another flight. Pharmaceutical, medical and biological experiments are expected to be prime choices for the payload. Space Rider was approved at the Space19+ meeting of ESA’s 22 member states in November 2019. Its first launch is expected in 2023.