Flight 1

Overview

Destination: Suborbital
Mission: Test Flight

Suborbital Diamant Launch Area Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Callisto - Diamant Launch Area Landing Pad

First test flight of the Callisto VTVL demonstrator.

Updates

Nosu • Sept. 16, 2025, 11:24 a.m.

Adding launch


Callisto

Family:
Configuration:

Callisto is a demonstrator designed to conduct flight testing and mature the complex technologies required to return a launcher to Earth, as well as refurbishment operations between flights, and to precisely cost an operational European launcher with a reusable first stage (it is not intended to become an operational launcher). Standing for “Cooperative Action Leading to Launcher Innovation in Stage Toss-back Operations”, Callisto is a project being pursued with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the German space agency DLR. A large number of international contractors are also contributing to the experiment, among them ArianeGroup and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

See Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    1
  • Length
    13.0 m
  • Diameter
    1.1 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    ―
  • Launch Mass
    ―
  • Thrust
    46.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Callisto
  • Family
    ―
  • Variant
    ―
  • Alias
    ―
  • Full Name
    Callisto
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    ―
  • Low Earth Orbit
    ―
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    ―
  • Direct Geostationary
    ―
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    ―

Booster Info


Callisto


Type: Core
Flight Proven: No

Landing Information

The Callisto demonstrator will attempt to land back at the Diamant launch site after this flight

Landing Attempt Confirmed

National Center of Space Research

National Center of Space Research

(CNES)

CEO: François Jacq Founded: 1961 Successes: 12 Failures: 2 Pending: 1

Agency Type:

The National Center of Space Research, or CNES, is a French National Agency in charge of France's space program. In partnership with the US and Russia, they have put 10 people in space. CNES works in tandem with the larger ESA to develop the Ariane 5 and work on other probes and satellites. They are working with Germany to develop a cheaper and more efficient reusable rocket, which hopefully will be ready to fly by 2026.

INFO WIKI
European Spaceflight

Ground Qualification Testing Begins for Callisto Reusable Rocket Demonstrator

The French space agency CNES has announced the start of ground qualification testing for the Callisto reusable rocket demonstrator at the Guiana Space Centre. A full-scale mockup of the vehicle has been erected at the space centre’s former…

European Spaceflight

Callisto Reusable Rocket Demonstrator Takes Shape Ahead of 2027 Hop Test

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has completed final testing of the nose cone for the Callisto reusable rocket demonstrator, with the hardware now set to be transferred to France for final integration. DLR has also confirmed that the demo…

European Spaceflight

Callisto Ground Support Robot Ready for Shipment

French engineering group Technip Energies (T.EN) is in the process of completing Factory Acceptance Tests for a robot that will be used to connect and disconnect umbilicals from the Callisto reusable rocket demonstrator before and after li…

European Spaceflight

DLR Delivers Callisto Landing Leg Prototype for Testing

The DLR Institute of Structures and Design has delivered the qualification model of the Callisto reusable rocket demonstrator’s landing leg to the DLR Institute of Space Systems in Bremen for testing. Callisto is an international reusable …

Arstechnica

Rocket Report: European rocket reuse test delayed; NASA tweaks SLS for Artemis II

"There’s a lot of interest because of the fear that there’s just not a lot of capacity."

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

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