JOHANNESBURG — The European Space Agency has finalized a €167 million ($200 million) contract with Thales Alenia Space Italy and Avio to deliver Space Rider — Europe’s first robotic orbital spaceplane — in time for a mid-to-late 2023 launch atop an expendable rocket.

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Andrew Parsonson is based in Valetta, Malta, and has been covering the space industry since 2017.