A full-scale drop test of the European Space Agency’s Space Rider spaceplane was canceled in early May after an anomaly occurred during the captive ascent phase, the agency told European Spaceflight.
In August 2024 and June 2025, ESA completed Space Rider drop test campaigns using a 3,000-kg mass simulator. In early 2026, the agency plans to move forward with a final set of drop tests using the Descent and Landing Test Model, a full-scale mock-up of the Space Rider’s reentry module that simulates its size, mass, aerodynamic shape, and landing gear.
In November 2025, said Dante Galli, Space Rider Program Manager, for European Spaceflight The agency was targeting February or March 2026 for the final drop test campaign. However, during a June 17 press conference following the 347th meeting of the ESA Council, weeks after the failed attempt, ESA’s Head of Corporate Space Transport Strategy and Launch Operations, Lucia Linares, explained that the agency was unable to provide a specific date for the final drop test, stating only that it would take place after the summer and before the end of the year.
When asked about the reason for the multi-month delay, an ESA spokesperson confirmed that a previously unannounced testing campaign had occurred. According to the agency, the two-week campaign ended on May 8, when an anomaly forced the teams to cancel the final test sequence.
According to the spokesperson, the anomaly occurred during the captive ascension phase. During this phase, the model was lifted for altitude drop by a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. But the agency did not provide details about the nature of this anomaly.
While this anomaly is being investigated, it is not the only or even the primary factor leading to the delay.
“The test vehicle was returned in safe condition, and [the] “The investigation is ongoing. Final system drop testing will resume no later than October 2026, due to test site availability limitations,” the spokesperson said.
Even with the flight postponed to October, there is still more than a year’s margin before the inaugural flight, currently targeted for the first quarter of 2028 aboard a Vega C rocket. Additionally, in November 2025, Galli said all flight hardware had been manufactured and was, at that point, either awaiting integration or undergoing verification testing.
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