An experimental Italian space capsule
equipped with technology that enables it to re-enter Earth, the
Mini-IRENE, was launched on Wednesday from the Esrange base in
Kiruna, Sweden, thanks to an agreement with the Swedish Space
Corporation (SSC).
Funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) as part of the General
Support Technology programme of the European Space Agency
European Space Agency (ESA), the Mini-IRENE capsule was designed
in Campania by the Italian Aerospace Research Centre (Cira),
with the Federico II University of Naples and the Ali Scarl
consortium, along with Lead Tech, Euro.soft and SRS Ed.
The capsule's main goal is to test an innovative
deployment-and-thermal-protection system with a 250 km altitude
suborbital mission.
After returning into the atmosphere, the Mini-IRENE's special
umbrella shape enables it to have a stable parachuted flight
and a low-speed landing, without additional deceleration
systems.
Photo: Italian Space Agency (ASI) President Giorgio Saccoccia.
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