Callisto Reusable Rocket Demonstrator Takes Shape Ahead of 2027 Hop Test

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has completed final testing of the nose cone for the Callisto reusable rocket demonstrator, with the hardware now set to be transferred to France for final integration. DLR has also confirmed that the demonstrator’s initial hop test has slipped to 2027, a delay first hinted at in a French space agency (CNES) procurement notice published in September 2025.

DLR announced on 11 September that the nose cone had successfully completed acceptance testing. The carbon-fibre structure will be delivered to the French space agency CNES and APCO Technologies for integration into Callisto’s top block before it is shipped to the Guiana Space Centre.