The is European Space Agency (European Space Agency) has signed contracts for the first reusable space transportation system. Known as Space Rider, it’s an automated lab the size of a few eight-seat minibuses.
The European Space Agency has signed two contracts. The first is the delivery of the spacecraft by two main joint contractors: Thales Alenia Void Italy and Aveo. The second covers the delivery of the ground segment (infrastructure needed to launch and operate Void Rider) by two joint Italian contractors: Telespazio and Altec. Designed to launch an ESA Vega-C missile from Kourou, French Guiana Void Rider will remain in orbit for about two months. It will carry up to 800 kg of technical experiences and demonstrations in the cargo compartment with a capacity of 1200 liters.
After the flight, you’ll land on the ground and land on a runway, either in Coro or Santa Maria in the Azores. Experiments will then be unloaded and analyzed, and the spacecraft itself will be ready for another flight. Pharmacological, medical, and biological trials are expected to be the first payload options. The Space Rider was approved at the Space19 + meeting of the 22 member states of ESA in November 2019. It is expected to launch for the first time in 2023.
