Agence spatiale européenne
The European Space Agency (ESA) is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to space exploration, with 22 member states. Founded in 1975, ESA shapes Europe's space capabilities, ensuring investments in space deliver benefits to European citizens, working across the entire space sector. ESA develops and operates Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications, and astronomy satellites and sends probes to explore the solar system, partnering with agencies like NASA, JAXA and commercial partners like Airbus. Key programs include the development of launch vehicles like Ariane and Vega, the Galileo satellite navigation system, and missions like Rosetta and BepiColombo.
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ESA is working closely with the Czech Republic to provide its decades of experience in crewed spaceflight.
ESA targeted February or March 2026 for the final Space Rider drop test campaign.
Ariane 6 is Europe’s heavy-lift launcher and a key element of ESA’s efforts to ensure autonomous access to space for Europe.
ESA’s Themis program is a reusable first-stage rocket program intended as Europe’s answer to Falcon and Starship.
ESA completed Space Rider drop test campaigns in August 2024 and June 2025 using a 3,000-kilogram mass simulator.
Aleš Svoboda is the designated pilot for the mission and is a member of the ESA astronaut reserve selected in November 2022.
Vast has announced a collaboration with the European Space Agency on behalf of the Czech Republic to send an astronaut to the International Space Station in 2027.
Thomas Pesquet has been designated by ESA as the mission commander.
ESA could not provide a concrete date for the final Space Rider drop test campaign in June 2025 and expected it to take place after the summer and before the end of the year.
ESA aborted a full-scale Space Rider drop test in early May after an anomaly during the captive ascent phase.
Josef Aschbacher said that ESA is enabling its member states to participate in crewed spaceflight through a new generation of commercial partnerships.
ESA director general Josef Aschbacher said ESA was looking at 12, 15, and 20 launches per year.
ESA will not resume the final Space Rider system drop test earlier than October 2026 because of test site availability constraints.
The two-week Space Rider drop test campaign concluded on 8 May when an anomaly forced ESA to abort the final test sequence.
Daniel Neuenschwander said that this mission is the third time ESA has supported a member state’s access to space through commercial solutions.
ESA wants to raise Ariane 6 and Vega-C launch cadence from 7 or 8 launches per year to 15 or more by 2030.
Isar Aerospace has booked missions for the European Space Agency, the Norwegian Space Agency, ElevationSpace, Astroscale, and other customers.
Isar Aerospace’s qualification flight Mission Onward and Upward will carry five CubeSats and one experiment for ESA’s Boost! Program.
The European Defence Agency will deliver ISR constellation requirements to ESA for in-orbit demonstrations.
ESA said the four P160C-based boosters increased Ariane 6 performance and set a new European record for the most cargo carried to space in a single launch.