ESA’s Draco Reentry Mission Clears Its Critical Design Review

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:23:39 +0000

The European Space Agency has announced that its Draco mission has passed its Critical Design Review, clearing it to enter full-scale manufacturing, integration and testing ahead of its planned launch in 2027. ESA announced the milestone on 17 August, saying the review had validated the design of all of Draco’s systems. With the CDR complete, the mission team can now move ahead with manufacturing and integration of the flight hardware, followed by a testing campaign that will include high-altitude balloon drop tests.

Draco on Ask Sendai

ESA’s Draco Reentry Mission Clears Its Critical Design Review