29 January 2015
ESA’s Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle is ready for its launch and reentry mission on 11 February. The launch is scheduled for 13:00 GMT (14:00 CET) atop a Vega rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Media representatives are invited to follow the launch online or attend events in Italy, Germany or Spain.
This IXV mission will test cuttingedge system and technology aspects to provide Europe with an independent reentry capability, and a building block for reusable space transportation systems. It will validate designs for lifting bodies, incorporating both the simplicity of capsules and the performance of winged vehicles, with high controllability and manoeuvrability for precision landing.
ESA has developed the capabilities to deliver spacecraft into
orbit, dock automatically with cooperative or non cooperative targets, and even land on celestial objects far away in our Solar System.
Mastering autonomous return from orbit and soft landing will open a new chapter for ESA. Such a capability is a cornerstone for reusable launcher stages, sample return from other planets and crew return from space, as well as future Earth observation, microgravity research, satellite servicing and disposal missions.
The initial results from the flight are expected to be released around six weeks later.
The results will feed the Programme for Reusable InOrbit Demonstrator for Europe, or Pride, which is being studied under funding decided at ESA’s last two Ministerial Councils. The reusable Pride spaceplane would be launched on Europe’s Vega light rocket, orbit and land automatically on a runway.
More infos downloading press release
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