12.08.2024
Over the last four months, the Space Rider team has conducted a series of drop tests, using a full-scale model of their future orbital laboratory. These tests, carried out at Salto di Quirra in Sardinia, Italy, aim to validate the deployment of the spacecraft's parachutes.
The Space Rider project features an uncrewed laboratory approximately the size of two minivans, designed to remain in orbit for up to two months. The spacecraft consists of two segments: an orbital module, providing essential in-flight support, and a reentry module that returns Space Rider and its experiments to Earth.
Since April, and continuing through the autumn, the team has been using a model with a weight distribution mirroring the actual 3000 kg reentry module. This setup is critical for evaluating the parachutes, parafoil, and control winches that will ensure a controlled, soft landing.
Dropped from a maximum altitude of 3.5 km, drogue chutes first deploy to decelerate the test model, preparing it for the parafoil extraction. This parafoil, measuring 27 m by 10 m-ten times larger than a human parafoil-is remotely controlled from the ground to test its aerodynamic performance. The test model successfully landed gently, descending at a safe speed of 12 km/h.
In the upcoming autumn tests, the full-scale model will undergo further evaluations, including a test of the flight control algorithm designed to autonomously guide the spacecraft to a designated landing spot. This phase will confirm the reliability of the engineering and software driving this innovative spacecraft.
Thales Alenia Space leads the industrial efforts for these tests and is a co-prime contractor for the Space Rider program. The Italian Defence supports these activities as part of its national initiative to advance space capabilities and foster international cooperation. These tests aim to certify the entire mission profile, from orbital flight to Earth return and landing. Following the completion of these test campaigns, the manufacturing of flight models will proceed.
Quelle: SD