In 2024 the Space Rider team is running a drop-test campaign whereby a full-scale model of the future orbital laboratory Space Rider is dropped from a helicopter to test and qualify the deployment of its parachutes, at Salto di Quirra in Sardinia, Italy.
The Space Rider project is an uncrewed laboratory about the size of two minivans that will be able to stay in orbit for up to two months. The spacecraft comes in two parts, an orbital module that supplies everything it needs to fly around our planet and a reentry module that brings Space Rider and its experiments back to Earth.
Over the course of this test campaign, that started in April the teams are using a model of Space Rider that is has similar a weight distribution as the real 3000 kg reentry module. This allows the team to test the parachutes, parafoil and control winches that automatically guide the spacecraft to a soft touchdown on Earth.
Dropped from a maximum height of 3.5 km, drogue chutes deploy to help slow down the test model down to a safe speed to extract the parafoil that will allow the spacecraft to be steered to a landing strip. The enormous paraglider is 27 m long and 10 m wide – around 10 times larger than a human parafoil – is controlled from ground to test the aerodynamics involved. The test model touched down in a soft landing as planned losing altitude at a slow 12 km/h.
Thales Alenia Space is the industrial lead for the tests and co-prime for the Space Rider programme. The Italian Defence supports the test activities as part of a national effort to enhance its space capabilities and international collaboration in the sector. The tests will qualify the spacecraft’s whole mission from flight, return to Earth, and landing. After the test campaigns, flight models will be authorised for manufacturing.
Access this video on the ESA video library:
Credits: Thales Alenia Space
★ Subscribe: and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications.
Our main YouTube channel: @EuropeanSpaceAgency
Check out our full video catalog:
Follow us on Twitter:
On Facebook:
On Instagram:
On LinkedIn:
On Pinterest:
On Flickr:
We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here:
#ESA #SpaceRider #Test
1 view
219
42
1 month ago 01:02:49 1.1K
Progressive Mix: – Deep Space Progressive 027 (November 2024)
1 month ago 00:57:12 6
Video Kids-The Invasion of the Spacepeckers(1984)
2 months ago 00:21:47 20
[TableTopReady] How To Paint a Space Marine Terminator Librarian for Warhammer 40,000 with Glow Effect and Force Axe
2 months ago 00:14:16 3
Майкл Джексон и ЕГО Соник 3
2 months ago 01:20:26 1
Two Steps From Hell - 25 Tracks Best of All Time | Most Powerful Epic Music Mix [Part 1]
2 months ago 00:00:31 3
Dragon “Rider“... | Comic Dub
2 months ago 00:09:05 4
Primitive Technology: A-frame hut
2 months ago 00:04:33 11
Eredin Bréacc Glas (cinematic)🖤
2 months ago 00:35:57 1
Video Kids - The Invasion Of The Spacepeckers (full album)
2 months ago 03:35:34 1
Stive Morgan - К ЗВЁЗДАМ! #stivemorgan #relax #morgan @melomaninstrumentalcollection
2 months ago 00:54:03 1
CHRONOCEPTION | FULL MOVIE
2 months ago 01:20:48 1
BIMHUIS TV Presents: KAYHAN KALHOR & REMBRANDT TRIO
2 months ago 00:01:57 1
2025 KTM FREERIDE E – Electric offroad revolution | KTM
2 months ago 00:04:10 1
GHOST RIDER | 505 - Arctic Monkeys
2 months ago 03:51:36 1
DUB TECHNO Trippy @ Driving into the Purple Space ’Psychedelic Riders’ Minimal mix 2023
3 months ago 00:05:43 2
Star-Lord Band Soundtrack [GOTG] - 04 Ghost
3 months ago 00:03:31 11
🎼Eredin (rock extended version MV)🦅⚔️
3 months ago 00:10:59 1
THE ISHIHARA EXPERIENCE・Shinichi Ishihara, Ricardo Cruz, Larissa Tassi, Lucas Araujo
3 months ago 00:32:33 1
Demonio - Acid Rain (Full Album 2024)
3 months ago 00:18:02 1
A State Of Trance ASOT 863 XXL - Monoverse Guestmix
3 months ago 00:31:14 1
Sonic Geometry 2 : Communicating with the Universe in 432hz
3 months ago 01:56:13 1
RTX 3060 in 69 Games - RTX 3060 & i5 10400F Benchmark