A ground exercise checks countdown operations before a reusable rocket flies.
Nove.news18 Oct 2026 · 1 min read
Archive photo: Johannes Jansson / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 · Source and rights
ESA reported on 7 October that its Themis reusable-stage demonstrator completed a second fuelling rehearsal at Sweden’s Esrange on 29 September.
Teams rehearsed countdown and ground operations under cryogenic conditions. Although Themis is designed for methane and oxygen, this exercise used liquid nitrogen for safety.
The distinction matters: a successful ground rehearsal tests equipment and procedures, but is not a rocket launch or a demonstration of recovery in flight.
