EuropeA parafoil failed to open, destroying a full-scale Space Rider drop-test model.
The failure is the second setback this year for Europe’s reusable spaceplane.
The model replicated the spaceplane’s mass, shape and landing gear, in the final system-level drop-test campaign.
The European Space Agency still expects the first flight in 2028, now in the second quarter.
An independent investigation is ongoing, and the agency has not said when testing resumes.
How each outlet framed it
- European Spaceflight
- reports the lost Space Rider model as the second 2026 setback, recalling the May Chinook captive-ascent abort and range-availability delay
Sources: European Spaceflight