European Agency prepares for privatization in space

The spacecraft will operate on a commercial basis

Despite the fact that from the debut of the space plane Space Rider in Europe just three years, the European space Agency (ESA) has plans to privatize the unmanned Orbiter.

Representatives of ESA, said that by 2025, Space Rider can operate on a commercial basis, to fly scientific payloads and return them to Earth in about 9 $ 200. USA per kilogram.

Arianespace, a service provider to run Evry, in France, is likely to be the operator Space Rider, offering industrial and government customers the opportunity to fill 800 kg space plane technology, microgravity, materials testing, demonstration, telecommunications and robotics.

Space Rider is developed by Thales Alenia Space and Lockheed Martin under the leadership of the Italian aerospace research center Cira. Funding of program definition phase was approved in December 22 member States of ESA.

Test flight 2020 will show that the Space Rider startanet rocket Vega-C Arianespace (which will debut in 2019) and will land on an airstrip on one of the Azores Atlanta Santa Maria.

During operational flights of the Space Rider in the next few months will be in orbit at a distance of 400 kilometers above the Earth, opening its doors to the payload Bay to expose experiments to the space environment. According to Giorgio Tumino, ESA Space Rider and Manager of the program of development of missiles Vega, customers will pay about 9 $ 200 per kg to fly with their payloads on the Space Rider.

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