Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator balloon flight test

The Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator, a 2800-kg Apollo-shaped experimental capsule, managed by Aerospatiale Space and Defence as a prime contractor, is part of the technological activities of the European Space Agency in the framework of the Manned Space Transportation Program. The descent and recovery subsystem, which is under Alenia Aerospazio responsibility, is the subsystem devoted to decelerating and stabilizing the capsule at the end of the reentry phase for a proper splash-down, to ensure the capsule flotation and localization help for the recovery in the Pacific Ocean. A major milestone in the development of the descent and recovery subsystem was reached successfully on 14 July 1996 with a full-scale qualification test performed at the Italian Space Agency Base of Trapani, Sicily. The balloon flight test mission aroused great interest inasmuch as it was the first time that such an experiment had been performed in Europe, especially with respect to the complexity of the test article and balloon mission profile.