to attain orbital speed; once it had achieved the necessary height and speed, it would have released its satellite payload, which would independently ascend higher still to reach the desired orbit. Reportedly, Hopper was designed to deliver 7.5 tonne satellites into an orbit of 130 km above the surface of the Earth. Following the release of its payload, the vehicle would have then glided down in a controller descent. It was intended that the spacecraft would land at a predetermined island facility in the Atlantic Ocean, after which it would have been transported back to French Guiana by ship for further flights. Multinational aerospace conglomerate EADS was responsible for the project management of Hopper, as well as for the development of the project's software-based elements. A number of other partner companies were also involved in the spacecraft's development. Reportedly, both the ESA and EADS had originally intended to complete development of Hopper between 2015 and 2020. After the first glide test using the Phoenix prototype in May 2004, no further updates on the programme were forthcoming; it is believed that work on Hopper has been discontinued. Prototype - Phoenix The Phoenix RLV launcher, the prototype of the Hopper launcher, was announced by DASA in June 1999<ref name = "FlightGlobal 1999">"Germany plans RLV flights" Flight Global', 23 June 1999.</ref> to be developed and produced as a portion of the wider ASTRA program of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), a project founded by the German Federal Government, EADS' Astrium subsidiary and the state of Bremen. Reportedly, EADS and the state of Bremen invested at least €8.2 million and €4.3 million respectively in the ASTRA programme. A further contribution of €16 million was sourced from partner companies on the program, such as the Bremen-based OHB-System, the DLR and the Federal Ministry for Education and Research. Construction of the prototype began in 2000. The Phoenix RLV was long, had a weight of , and a wingspan of . During its design, an emphasis had been placed on minimizing drag by making the vehicle as small as possible. The fuselage interior was occupied by various avionics and onboard systems, providing navigation, data transfer, energy supply, and artificial intelligence functions to allow it to automatically perform its data-gathering mission. Phoenix was one-sixth the size of the planned Hopper vehicle. The final version of the vehicle was expected to be able to support the reentry forces and