// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the FD1 rocket say? I've got a blast of data.
| Function | Technology demonstration |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Avio |
| Country of origin |  Italy,  European Space Agency |
| Size | |
| Mass | 6300 kg |
| Stages | 1 |
| Associated rockets | |
| Derivative work | Vega E |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Awaiting launch |
| Launch sites | Salto di Quirra |
| First stage | |
| Engines | 1x MR10 |
FD1 (Flight Demonstrator #1) is a suborbital rocket demonstrator developed by the Italian company Avio and the European Space Agency (ESA) to test the MR10 methalox engine as well as various reusable rocket-related technologies like grid fins and in-flight engine reignition.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The vehicle's integration was completed in September 2026 and it is expected to fly no earlier than 2027. It will be launched from a temporary launchpad at the Salto di Quirra test range on Sardinia. It is expected to reach a maximum altitude of around 70 km and then splash down around 20 km from the launch site and be recovered.[8][9] The MR10 engine is expected to be used on the future Vega E rocket's upper stage.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Parsonson, Andrew (2026-08-14). "Avio Filings Shed Light on FD1 Rocket Demonstrator Test Flight". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 2026-09-12.
- ↑ "Future Application". Avio.
- ↑ MARONGIU Claudio; BERETTA Lorenzo; PAGLIA Fabio; DI MARCO Alessandro; DE PAOLA Elisa; STOICA Luana, G.; BERNARDINI Matteo; STELLA Fulvio; PANTALEONE Piero; PAIANO Salvatore; FRANCO Davide; STOICA Corneliu; NERI Agostino (2025). "AEROACOUSTIC CHARACTERAZATION OF GRID FINS IN A FLIGHT DEMONSTRATOR" (PDF). 11ᵀᴴ EUROPEAN CONFERENCE FOR AERONAUTICS AND SPACE SCIENCES (EUCASS). EUCASS: 11 pages. doi:10.13009/EUCASS2025-313.
- ↑ Stoica, Luana Georgiana; Di Marco, Alessandro; Camussi, Roberto; Marongiu, Claudio; Neri, Agostino (2026-07-23), Experimental Study of the Aerodynamic and Wall Pressure Environment around a Launch Vehicle Demonstrator with Grid Fins in Re-entry (SSRN Scholarly Paper), Rochester, NY, doi:10.2139/ssrn.7193348, 7193348, retrieved 2026-09-12
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ↑ "Firma Avio chystá demonstrátor rakety FD1 – Kosmonautix.cz" (in Czech). Retrieved 2026-09-12.
- ↑ "Avio (BIT:AVIO) Could Be 23% Below Fair Value On FD1 Flight Test Progress". simplywall.st. 2026-08-16. Retrieved 2026-09-12.
- 1 2 Gatti, Emma (2026-01-26). "Vega is pivoting — or Vega is being bypassed?". www.thespacerepublic.news. Retrieved 2026-09-12.
- ↑ Parsonson, Andrew (2026-09-11). "Avio Completes Integration of FD1 Rocket Demonstrator". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 2026-09-12.
- ↑ Spaceflight, European (2026-09-11). "Avio complète l'intégration du démonstrateur de fusée FD1". InSpace News (in French). Retrieved 2026-09-12.
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Future missions in italics
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