Italys IRIDE completes Eaglet II constellation
The final batch of Eaglet II satellites for Italy's IRIDE Earth observation programme has reached orbit, bringing the programme a step closer to providing a full range of satellite data for Italy's environmental, emergency and security services.
The launch took place on Thursday, 1 October, at 20:32 CEST (11:32 local time) with SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare on a Falcon 9 launcher, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This brings the total number of IRIDE satellites in orbit to 39.
The satellites form part of a comprehensive system that includes ground infrastructure and digital capabilities that transform the Earth observation data into applications that support public sector services, as well as research and economic development. The range of applications supported by IRIDE include the monitoring of ground motion, land cover, hydrogeological resources, fires, coastal protection, air quality, weather and critical infrastructure.
IRIDE is a national Earth observation mission initiated by the Italian government and developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The programme is an ambitious space initiative funded by Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which is designed to modernise and revitalise Italy's economy.
Simonetta Cheli, Director of ESA's Earth Observation Programmes, said, "This is an exciting milestone for the IRIDE programme. Italy is another step closer to being able to fully support a number of public services to monitor its territory and coasts. This will benefit Italy's public sector and all citizens. My sincerest thanks go to the teams that have contributed to achieving this success, including the teams at OHB Italia, ASI and ESA. I look forward to the launches planned in the coming months, which will further strengthen the programme's capabilities and the expertise of the Italian Earth observation industry."
IRIDE's Eaglet II constellation, with 24 satellites now in orbit, is complete. The satellites carry multispectral sensors, which capture images of Earth's surface, as well as an Automatic Identification System (AIS) to support maritime monitoring and safety services.
The satellites were developed and tested by OHB Italia and will be handed over to ASI for operations when fully commissioned. The first in-orbit communication signal from each of the satellites was received several hours after launch at OHB Italia's Rome Mission Control Centre.
OHB Italia's Managing Director, Roberto Aceti, said, "The full deployment of the Eaglet II constellation is an extraordinary milestone for OHB Italia. Placing 24 satellites in orbit in less than a year, we have successfully transformed an ambitious project into a complete, operational space system. This achievement demonstrates the strength of our technological and industrial capabilities, as well as a tangible commitment to our country through highly advanced, operational geospatial services."
Mario Cospito, Commissioner of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), commented: "Today's launch is further proof of the capabilities of our industrial system. Thanks to these new satellites, the IRIDE programme will deliver even higher performance in providing cutting-edge Earth observation data, helping us study ongoing climate change and protect our planet. Born of the Italian government's commitment, IRIDE is a valuable infrastructure serving public decision-making."
As well as the Eaglet II constellation, the IRIDE programme has also launched Hawk for Earth Observation (HEO) satellites. The HEO constellation carries multispectral, high-resolution optical instruments, which capture image data across multiple wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. Argotec is responsible for developing and building the HEO satellites.
The IRIDE launches to date are:
Vielen Dank, dass Sie den Artikel gelesen haben!
