ESA title
Enabling & Support

IXV into position

27/01/2015 5214 views
ESA / Enabling & Support / Operations / Highlights

ESA’s unmanned spaceplane, IXV, was lifted onto the payload adapter on 26 January 2015 at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The adapter will be used to fix IXV to the Vega rocket.

With hooks and mechanical supports removed on 28 January, IXV is sealed before encapsulation in the fairing. 

The Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle will be launched into a suborbital trajectory and return to Earth as though from a low-orbit mission. For the first time, it will test and qualify European critical reentry technologies in hypersonic flight, descend by parachute and land in the Pacific Ocean to await recovery and analysis.

For more about IXV visit: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Launchers/IXV

Connect with IXV on Twitter: twitter.com/esa_ixv 

  • Enabling & Support

    IXV installed on its payload adapter

    27/01/2015 1571 views 9 likes
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    IXV installed on its payload adapter
  • Enabling & Support

    IXV is being prepared for launch

    28/01/2015 497 views 4 likes
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    IXV is being prepared for launch
  • Enabling & Support

    IXV is being prepared for launch

    28/01/2015 817 views 3 likes
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    IXV is being prepared for launch
  • Enabling & Support

    IXV is being prepared for launch

    28/01/2015 979 views 5 likes
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    IXV is being prepared for launch
  • Enabling & Support

    IXV is being prepared for launch

    28/01/2015 614 views 5 likes
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    IXV is being prepared for launch
  • Enabling & Support

    IXV is being prepared for launch

    28/01/2015 666 views 4 likes
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    IXV is being prepared for launch
  • Enabling & Support

    IXV installed on its payload adapter

    27/01/2015 6261 views 34 likes
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    IXV installed on its payload adapter
  • Enabling & Support

    IXV installed on its payload adapter

    27/01/2015 1281 views 5 likes
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    IXV installed on its payload adapter
  • Enabling & Support

    IXV installation on its payload adapter

    26/01/2015 581 views 6 likes
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    IXV installation on its payload adapter
  • Enabling & Support

    IXV installation on its payload adapter

    26/01/2015 526 views 5 likes
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    IXV installation on its payload adapter
  • Enabling & Support

    IXV installation on its payload adapter

    26/01/2015 522 views 5 likes
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    IXV installation on its payload adapter
  • Enabling & Support

    IXV installation on its payload adapter

    26/01/2015 428 views 5 likes
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    IXV installation on its payload adapter
  • Enabling & Support

    IXV installation on its payload adapter

    26/01/2015 516 views 5 likes
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    IXV installation on its payload adapter
  • Enabling & Support

    Preparing IXV for installation on its payload adapter

    23/01/2015 1096 views 7 likes
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    Preparing IXV for installation on its payload adapter
  • Enabling & Support

    Preparing IXV for installation on its payload adapter

    23/01/2015 690 views 6 likes
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    Preparing IXV for installation on its payload adapter
  • Enabling & Support

    Preparing IXV for installation on its payload adapter

    23/01/2015 1055 views 6 likes
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    Preparing IXV for installation on its payload adapter