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CALLISTO
CALLISTO (Cooperative Action Leading to Launcher Innovation in Stage Toss-back Operations) is a reusable VTVL demonstrator propelled by a small 40 kN Japanese LOX-LH2 rocket engine. It is being developed jointly by the French (CNES), German (DLR), and Japanese (JAXA) national space agencies.
The goals for CALLISTO are to mature and demonstrate the technologies which are necessary to build and operate a reusable launch vehicle, but also to better assess the operational cost of such a vehicle. The first flight was originally planned to occur in late 2020; it has since been postponed multiple times to 2027. Following the programme's conclusion, the experiences and technologies gained through CALLISTO will be harnessed to benefit other ongoing and future space programmes, such as the development of the European reusable launcher Ariane Next.
CALLISTO is distinct from a similar project Themis under development by ESA and from the DLR-developed Reusable Flight Experiment (ReFEx), which is a demonstrator of a winged reusable rocket first stage.
A major focus area for CALLISTO is to evaluate the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the vehicle between flights; it is hoped that it could perform at least eight launches within six months. It is also sought to perform at least one landing with a minimum non-gravitational acceleration of 1.3g, as well as to demonstrate a large and rapid manoeuvre at low dynamic pressure and a vertical landing which includes both a boostback manoeuver and an unpowered aerodynamic manoeuver. The economics involved in all such operations are also to be stringently evaluated. In comparison to the established Ariane programme, CALLISTO has been described as being a relatively austere effort, operating on a budget between 1 and 2 percent of that allocated to Ariane.
Various aspects of the project have been divided between the partner agencies: the CNES is responsible for the hydrogen peroxide thrusters, telemetry, neutralisation system, ground segment, and will also perform final assembly of the equipment bay; the DLR is responsible for the fairing, navigation, fins, equipment bay structure, hydrogen tank, and the landing system; and at last, the JAXA is responsible for the oxygen tank, aft bay structure, power supply, and propulsion. All three organisations will work on the onboard computer and flight software. Experience and technologies are being drawn from multiple existing programmes, including the Vega expendable launch system and the Space Rider lifting body spaceplane.
The flight test programme is set to be entirely performed at the newly-built commercial launch facility at the Guiana Space Centre, although considerations were made towards the use of alternative landing sites on both land and sea (the latter using barges). As of January 2025, the work to build the infrastructure needed to accommodate CALLISTO at its launch facility was expected to begin in the second half of 2025.
In 2018, the project's timetable had scheduled the first flight of the rocket to take place sometime in late 2020, as well as for flight testing to be completed by the end of 2021. By mid 2019, flight tests were expected to start in 2022. This was later updated to a 2025–2026 timeframe and as of 2025, the initial test flights are expected to begin from the Guiana Space Centre in 2026.
During the 2010s, various aerospace entities, both in the public and private sector, became increasingly interested in the aspect of reusability, in particular Vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) rocket elements, as a means of reducing the cost of space-based activities. Companies such as SpaceX had demonstrated their own progress in the field, leading to agencies in Russia, China, and Europe announcing their own reusable rocket projects. By the mid-2010s, development of the pan-European Ariane 6 launcher was well-underway, and incorporated a reusable engine. However, some officials in both France and Germany felt that greater emphasis on reusability was necessary, and that future rockets needed to go beyond what was then underway. According, these nations begun to collaborate on a tentative research effort that would crystalise as CALLISTO; a test rocket aimed at investigating, demonstrating, and maturing relevant technologies in the field of reusability.
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CALLISTO AI simulator
(@CALLISTO_simulator)
CALLISTO
CALLISTO (Cooperative Action Leading to Launcher Innovation in Stage Toss-back Operations) is a reusable VTVL demonstrator propelled by a small 40 kN Japanese LOX-LH2 rocket engine. It is being developed jointly by the French (CNES), German (DLR), and Japanese (JAXA) national space agencies.
The goals for CALLISTO are to mature and demonstrate the technologies which are necessary to build and operate a reusable launch vehicle, but also to better assess the operational cost of such a vehicle. The first flight was originally planned to occur in late 2020; it has since been postponed multiple times to 2027. Following the programme's conclusion, the experiences and technologies gained through CALLISTO will be harnessed to benefit other ongoing and future space programmes, such as the development of the European reusable launcher Ariane Next.
CALLISTO is distinct from a similar project Themis under development by ESA and from the DLR-developed Reusable Flight Experiment (ReFEx), which is a demonstrator of a winged reusable rocket first stage.
A major focus area for CALLISTO is to evaluate the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the vehicle between flights; it is hoped that it could perform at least eight launches within six months. It is also sought to perform at least one landing with a minimum non-gravitational acceleration of 1.3g, as well as to demonstrate a large and rapid manoeuvre at low dynamic pressure and a vertical landing which includes both a boostback manoeuver and an unpowered aerodynamic manoeuver. The economics involved in all such operations are also to be stringently evaluated. In comparison to the established Ariane programme, CALLISTO has been described as being a relatively austere effort, operating on a budget between 1 and 2 percent of that allocated to Ariane.
Various aspects of the project have been divided between the partner agencies: the CNES is responsible for the hydrogen peroxide thrusters, telemetry, neutralisation system, ground segment, and will also perform final assembly of the equipment bay; the DLR is responsible for the fairing, navigation, fins, equipment bay structure, hydrogen tank, and the landing system; and at last, the JAXA is responsible for the oxygen tank, aft bay structure, power supply, and propulsion. All three organisations will work on the onboard computer and flight software. Experience and technologies are being drawn from multiple existing programmes, including the Vega expendable launch system and the Space Rider lifting body spaceplane.
The flight test programme is set to be entirely performed at the newly-built commercial launch facility at the Guiana Space Centre, although considerations were made towards the use of alternative landing sites on both land and sea (the latter using barges). As of January 2025, the work to build the infrastructure needed to accommodate CALLISTO at its launch facility was expected to begin in the second half of 2025.
In 2018, the project's timetable had scheduled the first flight of the rocket to take place sometime in late 2020, as well as for flight testing to be completed by the end of 2021. By mid 2019, flight tests were expected to start in 2022. This was later updated to a 2025–2026 timeframe and as of 2025, the initial test flights are expected to begin from the Guiana Space Centre in 2026.
During the 2010s, various aerospace entities, both in the public and private sector, became increasingly interested in the aspect of reusability, in particular Vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) rocket elements, as a means of reducing the cost of space-based activities. Companies such as SpaceX had demonstrated their own progress in the field, leading to agencies in Russia, China, and Europe announcing their own reusable rocket projects. By the mid-2010s, development of the pan-European Ariane 6 launcher was well-underway, and incorporated a reusable engine. However, some officials in both France and Germany felt that greater emphasis on reusability was necessary, and that future rockets needed to go beyond what was then underway. According, these nations begun to collaborate on a tentative research effort that would crystalise as CALLISTO; a test rocket aimed at investigating, demonstrating, and maturing relevant technologies in the field of reusability.