ESA's Naja not sure Themis will make its first flight in 2026
ESA's Géraldine Naja said winter at Esrange could stop Themis flying this year, with a go/no-go decision due by end of November.
ESA Director of Space Transportation Géraldine Naja said on 22 October that she was uncertain the agency could complete the first flight of its Themis reusable rocket demonstrator before the end of the year. She spoke at a media briefing in Paris after ESA's 350th Council meeting.
Naja said approaching winter conditions at Sweden's Esrange Space Center could prevent the test this year. ESA will decide by the end of November whether to go ahead before the winter shutdown.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said on 8 January that the agency expected its first Themis hop test in the first quarter of 2026. ArianeGroup said on 7 October, after a successful second wet dress rehearsal at Esrange, that teams were defining a window for the next test.
Naja said the development schedule requires a hop test before June 2027. It was unclear whether that applied to one or both planned hops, and an ESA spokesperson did not answer when asked.
Sourceeuropeanspaceflight.com