ESA reentry vehicle on track for flight in 2013

ESA and Thales Alenia Space Italia announced an agreement today at the Paris Air & Space Show to begin building the IXV Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle for its mission into space in 2013.

Europe?s ambition for a spacecraft to return autonomously from low orbit is a cornerstone for a wide range of space applications, including space transportation, exploration and robotic servicing of space infrastructure.

This goal will be achieved with IXV, which is the next step from the Atmosph [...]

Full story at http://spacefellowship.com/news/art26023/esa-reentry-vehicle-on-track-for-flight-in-2013.html