ArianeGroup Completes Second Themis Wet Dress Rehearsal

What happened

The European Space Agency announced that ArianeGroup and SSC Space completed a second wet dress rehearsal of the Themis reusable rocket demonstrator at Esrange in Sweden. ESA announced the completion of the latest rehearsal on 7 October, saying that the test had taken place on 29 September.

As with the first wet dress rehearsal, completed […] The post ArianeGroup Completes Second Themis Wet Dress Rehearsal appeared first on European Spaceflight . As with the first wet dress rehearsal , completed in July, the demonstrator was filled with liquid nitrogen rather than propellant (the fuel a rocket burns).

The nitrogen was cooled to around -200°C, allowing teams to test the vehicle and ground infrastructure under similar cryogenic temperatures and pressures without the added risk of propellant loading. The second rehearsal also included tests of elements of the automated ground systems developed to support reusable operations.

Key facts

• The European Space Agency — announced: that ArianeGroup and SSC Space completed a second wet dress rehearsal of the Themis reusable rocket demonstrator at Esrange in Sweden
• ESA — announced: the completion of the latest rehearsal on 7 October, saying that the test had taken place on 29 September