Foton-8 capsule recovery with Biopan-0

Recovery of the Foton-8 capsule near the Kazakh city of Kustanay on 24 October 1992. Prominent is ESA's Biopan experiment carrier, with its power and data cables heavily damaged by the heat of reentry. Biopan was designed and manufactured for ESA by Kayser-Threde to open in orbit to expose experiments to the space environment. Foton-8 carried the Biopan-0 demonstration version. Foton and Bion recoverable satellites have, since 1987, regularly carried ESA payloads into orbit. ESA's Biobox, Biopan and FluidPac flight facilities were specifically designed for Bion/Foton missions. Foton-8 was launched on 8 October 1992 from Russia's northern Plesetsk cosmodrome. [Image Date: 24-10-92] [98.08.004-012]