4Thales Alenia Space successfully completes ESA Space Rider closed loop drop test with Italian MoD

The Space Rider program, the European Space Agency’s re-usable and re-entry vehicle, made another significant advancement with the recent Closed Loop Drop Test campaign, conducted in June 2025 at Salto di Quirra Italian Defense Test and Training Range (PISQ), in Sardinia.

Following last year’s tests success, the program saw recently a substantial advancement on Descent and Landing technology, focusing particularly on the spacecraft’s capability of autonomous Guidance Navigation and Control in the descent and landing phase. This test is part of the ongoing development of the mission, which aims to test all the functionalities of Space Rider, from flight to landing.

The drop test campaign has been executed by Thales Alenia Space Italia as Space Rider Prime contractor responsible of the Re-Entry Vehicle, fully supported by their industrial partners Sener CIMSA, TESEO, and Meteomatics, with the decisive contributions of Italy’s Air Force and the Italian Army, responsible of on ground logistics and flight operations.

Source : ESA

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