A partnership formed by Norwegian shipbuilder Vard, Ingegneria Dei Sistemi, and Italian research consultancy Cetena has begun design work on a new recovery vehicle for the European Space Agency (ESA).
The maritime platform under development is a multi-purpose drone vessel designed to retrieve rocket stages that land at sea after launch. These stages, which are typically lost or discarded, can now be recovered and reused, significantly improving the efficiency and sustainability of space missions, according to Vard.
The vessel will be remotely operated and ultimately autonomous.
The project is part of a contract signed by ESA with Avio to develop and demonstrate reusable stages in flight. The vessel can recover lower stages through vertical landing on a landing pad, and upper stages and fairing through horizontal landing in a net.
Vard said initiative is part of a broader ESA project focused on reusable space mobility, which is becoming one of the most promising sectors in the space industry.
