ESA later referred to this programme, which became known as the Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator (ARD), as being: "major step towards developing and operating space transportation vehicles that can return to Earth... For the first time, Europe will fly a complete space mission – launching a vehicle into space and recovering it safely." The ARD was developed and operated as a cooperative civilian space programme under the oversight of the ESA; it fell within the agency's Manned Space Transportation Program (MSTP) framework. Under this framework, the programme was pursued with a pair of expressed principal objectives. First, the ESA was keen to perform a demonstration of the ability of the European space industry to design and produce low-cost reentry vehicles, as well as its ability to handle the critical mission phases involved in their operation, such as sub-orbital flight, reentry and vehicle recovery. In addition, the ARD was equipped with a comprehensive suite of sensors and recording equipment so that detailed measurements were obtained during testing; it was recognised that exploration of various phenomena across the successive phases of flight would be of high value. The data gained would be subsequently catalogued and harnessed during further programmes, especially future reentry vehicles and reusable launch systems. The prime contractor selected to perform the ARD's development and construction was French aerospace company Aérospatiale (which later merged into the multinational EADS – SPACE Transportation group). During 1995 and 1996, multiple development studies exploring concepts for the shape of such a vehicle were conducted; ultimately, it was decided to adopt a configuration that resembled the classical manned Apollo capsule which had been previously operated by NASA. The use of an existing shape was a deliberate measure to avoid a length exploration of the craft's aerodynamic properties; both the dimensions and mass of the craft were also defined by the capabilities of the Ariane 5 expendable launch system used to deploy the vehicle. It has been claimed that even early on, the programme schedule was relatively tight and funding was limited. According to the ESA, the restrictive financing of the programme was an intentional effort, to prove that such a vehicle could be demonstrated with a smaller budget than previous efforts had been. The experience and data obtained through ARD and IVX demonstrators are serving as developmental stepping stones towards a vehicle called Space Rider. Design The ARD is an unmanned 3-axis stabilised automated capsule which