Space Rider prototype crashes & Roman begins final commissioning - Space News (Oct 23, 2026)

Support The Automated Daily directly: 15 free episodes a day, 5 editions, 3 languages, about $4 a day to produce. A coffee keeps it going: theautomateddaily.com/support Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Lindy is your ultimate AI assistant that proactively manages your inbox - https://try.lindy.ai/tad - SurveyMonkey, Using AI to surface insights faster and reduce manual analysis time - https://get.surveymonkey.com/tad - Prezi: Create AI presentations fast - https://try.prezi.com/automated_daily Today's topics: Space Rider prototype crashes - New details reveal that ESA’s full-scale Space Rider test model crashed after its main parafoil detached during a landing trial. An independent investigation could influence the reusable spacecraft’s schedule and recovery design. [46][49] Roman begins final commissioning - NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has completed its main checkout and entered science commissioning. Engineers will now refine its images and calibrate the observatory before full science operations begin. [31] Psyche accelerates toward metal asteroid - Following a successful Mars gravity assist, NASA’s Psyche spacecraft has begun an extended period of near-continuous propulsion toward its metal-rich asteroid target. The mission remains on course to arrive in 2029. [76] Curiosity approaches mysterious Martian cliffs - Curiosity has captured its clearest view yet of unusual wind-carved cliffs on Mount Sharp. Their color and tilted layers suggest that ancient volcanic ash may be mixed into the Martian landscape. [91] Hawk satellites reach low orbit - A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched three Hawk satellites from New Zealand. The spacecraft will locate radio signals for applications including maritime tracking and the detection of navigation-signal interference. [121] Episode Transcript Space Rider prototype crashes We begin with Europe’s Space Rider, an uncrewed spacecraft being developed to carry experiments into orbit and return them to Earth for reuse. New details have emerged about a full-scale landing test conducted on October 6 over Sardinia, Italy. The model’s smaller stabilizing parachute opened normally, but the large steerable parafoil detached while deploying. Without that system, the vehicle could not make its planned controlled descent and crashed into the test range. ESA recovered remains of the model and has formed an independent investigation board. It is important to note that this was a test article, not the spacecraft intended to fly in orbit. Even so, the loss matters because landing safely is central to Space Rider’s purpose. Engineers now need to determine whether the problem came from the parafoil, its connection to the vehicle, or the deployment sequence. The investigation’s findings will shape the next test and could affect the broader schedule. It is an unwelcome result, but discovering such a weakness on a test range is far better than discovering it after an orbital mission. [46][49] Roman begins final commissioning Moving from a setback to steady progress, NASA says the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has entered its final science-commissioning phase. The observatory has completed its broad systems checkout, and the mission team reports that it can point, guide, collect exposures, move between targets and send its data as expected. The next stage is about refinement rather than basic survival. Engineers will use carefully selected observations to sharpen image quality and understand how the telescope responds to light. That preparation is essential because Roman is designed to detect very subtle signals while surveying enormous areas of the sky. Roman will study dark energy, map the large-scale distribution of matter and search for planets beyond our solar system. Its ability to combine sharp images with a wide view should allow astronomers to study vast numbers of galaxies and stars efficiently. Entering science commissioning means the telescope has...