CIRA Tests Space Rider Reentry Performance with Damaged Heat Shield
The Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA) has completed key testing of the thermal protection system for the European Space Agency’s Space Rider spacecraft, showing it can withstand reentry even when damaged by micrometeoroids or orbital debris. Space Rider is an eight-metre-long reusable spacecraft designed to carry payloads into orbit for missions of up to two […]
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Published by European Spaceflight on 04/16/2026