Very High Altitude Drop Tests

SSC provides one of Europe's largest testing areas to test drop bodies / Free Falling Units in their relevant environment.
A 5 200 km2 large unihabited ground area with a 6 600 km2 restricted airspace from GND to UNL gives unprecedented possibilities to test and operate both vehicles and sensors.

Depending on the chosen vehicle, SSC gives access to altitudes between 0 and more than 260km for atmospheric research or aerodynamic drop tests.
- Helicopter: 0 - 300kg Drop Mass; up to 5km drop altitude
- Stratospheric Balloon: 0 - 500kg Drop Mass; up to 35km drop altitude
- Sounding Rocket: 0 - 25kg Drop Mass; 80 - 260km drop altitude

Recent Missions:
- LADT and HADT / EXOMARS (ESA) - Helicopter/Balloon
- SPIDER (KTH / SNSA)
- D-Send Program (JAXA)
- REXUS Program (SNSA / DLR / ESA)
- SmartFish (ESA)

https://youtu.be/7V0__xvwNk4
https://youtu.be/frCQnoy8cx8

The facilities are located on SSC Esrange and provide well sized and temperated preparation areas, offices, equipped biological laboratories and workshops as well as hotel and restaurant on site.

Mass max. [kg]: 500.0
Data acquisition: on request
Project heritage: SSC has a long heritage in supporting drop tests for SNSA, JAXA, ESA, and within the REXUS/BEXUS Studentprogramme
Certification:
ISO/IEC 17025
ISO 9001
AS/EN/JISQ 9100
Keywords: Drop test; land recovery; Free Falling Units; FFU; Atmospheric research