United space in Europe
Enabling & Support

ESA’s IXV reentry vehicle mission

08/11/2012 139593 views 133 likes 281970 ID 00:06:55
English
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The ambition for a spacecraft to return autonomously from low orbit is a cornerstone for a wide range of space applications. IXV will achieve this goal. More manoeuvrable and able to make precise landings, it is the‘intermediate’ element of Europe’s path to future developments with limited risks.

Launched into a suborbital trajectory on ESA’s small Vega rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, the vehicle will return to Earth as though from a low-orbit mission. For the first time, it will test and qualify European critical reentry technologies in hypersonic flight, descend by parachute and land in the Pacific Ocean to await recovery and analysis.

  • ESA
  • Animation
  • Space Transportation
  • IXV Vega Launch Vehicle
  • Flying Landing Launching Re-entering
  • Animations
Enabling & Support

IXV: mastering atmospheric reentry

Video 00:03:00 16970 views 17 likes
Enabling & Support

ESA Euronews: The re-entry test

Video 00:12:00 21831 views 125 likes
IXV
Enabling & Support

IXV

Image 2168 views 15 likes
IXV during the last preparations at Thales Alenia Space
Enabling & Support

IXV during the last preparations

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IXV during the last preparations at Thales Alenia Space
Enabling & Support

IXV during the last preparations

Image 361 views 1 likes