AssetID: 54697255
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Phoenix Rises: Doughnut-Shaped Spacecraft That Will Float Precious Cargo Back To Earth Successfully Completes First Test Flight
Caption: A doughnut-shaped spacecraft designed to return valuable cargo to Earth has successfully completed its maiden test flight. Atmos Space Cargo, a German aerospace start-up, described the mission as a "full success" after its Phoenix vehicle splashed down around 2,000 kilometres off the coast of Brazil. Launched aboard SpaceX’s Bandwagon-3 rideshare mission on 21 April, the spacecraft gathered critical flight data and completed key objectives despite last-minute changes to its recovery plans. Sebastian Klaus, chief executive of Atmos, said the mission had three core goals: collecting flight data from the spacecraft, operating and retrieving data from onboard payloads, and evaluating the performance of its inflatable heat shield during reentry. Klaus confirmed that the team "got a lot of flight data" and that all four payloads activated and sent back crucial information. He praised the outcome as a "full success". Originally, Atmos had planned for Phoenix to reenter over the Indian Ocean near Réunion Island. After six months of preparations, including organising ships and aircraft to recover and monitor the descent, those plans were upended just five weeks before launch when SpaceX informed Atmos of "operational constraints". Forced to redirect the splashdown to the South Atlantic near Brazil, the company scrambled to set up new ground stations across South America and chartered a plane to attempt to capture reentry data. However, the aircraft was unable to reach the landing zone in time, and thick cloud cover blocked any clear imagery of the critical phase. As a result, Klaus said Atmos considered its third objective “partly successful”. "It would be much better to have more data on the critical last phase of the flight," Klaus said. "But then on the other side, there’s a lot we have learned about all other systems and operational aspects." Despite the setbacks, the mission's findings are expected to guide the development of Atmos' second Phoenix vehicle, which is scheduled for testing next year. Klaus concluded: "It was a very successful mission."
Keywords: feature,photo feature,photo story,Phoenix spacecraft, Atmos Space Cargo, doughnut-shaped spacecraft, SpaceX Bandwagon-3, space reentry, inflatable heat shield, space cargo return, spacecraft splashdown, German space start-up, Brazil splashdown, donut, science, tech, technology
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