ESA has pushed the final full-scale Space Rider drop test to no earlier than October 2026 after an anomaly stopped the campaign during captive ascent.
The Descent and Landing Test Model was being carried to drop altitude by a CH-47 Chinook when the team aborted the last sequence. ESA recovered the vehicle in safe condition and has opened an investigation. The slip affects the program’s final landing-validation milestone, following earlier drop-test campaigns in 2024 and 2025.
Space Rider remains targeted for first flight in Q1 2028 on Vega C. The schedule still holds margin, but the landing system now carries one more verification gate before integration closes out.