Switzerland’s Beyond Gravity has delivered the ALEK structure for the European Space Agency’s reusable Space Rider spacecraft to the Service Module prime contractor Avio.
Space Rider is an unmanned, reusable spacecraft being developed for in-orbit experimentation and technology demonstration. It can remain in orbit for up to three months before returning to Earth, completing a precision landing under a parasail for recovery and reuse.
The Space Rider spacecraft consists of two main components: the reusable Re-entry Module, developed by Thales Alenia Space, and the expendable Service Module. The Service Module utilizes a Vega C Avum+ upper stage, which is upgraded with the addition of the AVUM Life Extension Kit (ALEK). The ALEK element includes a pair of deployable solar wings, provided by the Italian space technology company Leonardo. Beyond Gravity is responsible for the ALEK element’s main structure.
Late last week, Beyond Gravity announced that it had delivered the ALEK structure for the first Space Rider vehicle. This marks a significant milestone in the vehicle’s development ahead of its inaugural flight, currently expected in 2027. This is four years after the original Q3 2023 projection, established when the first contracts were signed in December 2020.
While components for the first Space Rider spacecraft are being delivered, testing of the Re-entry Module’s recovery system is in full swing. In August 2024, ESA conducted a successful drop test of a Space Rider mass simulator in Sardinia, Italy. A 3,000-kilogram mass simulator was released from a helicopter at an altitude of 3.5 kilometers. The 27-meter-long parafoil was then successfully deployed, enabling a controlled descent and soft landing at approximately 12 kilometers per hour. This test was the first step in validating the recovery system.
