Above the Sky Mission Launched on Transporter 8
Among the payloads on the SpaceX Transporter 8 mission was "Above the Sky", the 11th commercial mission of their proprietary orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) ION Satellite Carrier (ION) to be launched by D-Orbit. The OTV was successfully deployed 80 minutes after lift off into a 525km (≈326 mile) sun-synchronous orbit.
“We are proud to start our eleventh mission in three years, and … collaborate with so many new and recurring customers.”
Renato Panesi, D-Orbit
ION is a versatile and cost-effective OTV designed to precisely deploy satellites and perform orbital demonstrations of third-party payloads hosted onboard. After the first commercial mission in September 2020, D-Orbit has completed nine more missions.
“We are proud to start our eleventh mission in three years, and … collaborate with so many new and recurring customers,” said Renato Panesi, D-Orbit’s CCO. “The tight launch schedule of 2023 is a proof of our improved capabilities, which enable us to manufacture and operate a constantly growing number of vehicles at the same time.”
Above the Sky Passengers
During the Above the Sky mission, ION SCV011, dubbed “Savvy Simon”, will host onboard several satellites, third-party satellite deployers, and third-party payloads:
Kelpie-2 is a 3U CubeSat designed and built by AAC Clyde Space. The spacecraft is a lightweight, advanced satellite designed to deliver Automatic Identification System (AIS) data exclusively to ORBCOMM and its clientele, as part of a Space Data as a Service agreement.
EPICHyper-2 is a 6U EPIC CubeSat, designed and built by AAC Clyde Space. The spacecraft, the second of three, shall deliver Hyperspectral data exclusively to their partners at Wyvern Inc, a Canadian Earth observation company.
Spei Satelles (SpeiSat) is a nanosatellite developed by the Polytechnic of Turin and the Italian Space Agency, featuring advanced sensors to study space environments. It carries a nanobook with messages of hope and peace, printed with a publication from 2020.
The inaugural satellite venture by Outpost, Mission 1, is designed to obtain crucial flight experience for the company's Ferry avionics system before embarking on their first Earth Return missions. On this first mission of Outpost’s hosted payload platform, they will successfully bring into orbit their first customer payload. The project, named 'Failure is an Option', epitomizes Outpost's approach of rapid innovation and premature launching, embracing the calculated risk of failure to expedite learning and to ensure dependable return to Earth.
NaviLEOTM is a low-cost, high-performance Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver developed by SpacePNT. It is designed to meet the unique needs of the New Space market, filling the gap between current low-end and high-end space receivers.
ODIN-DU1 is a hosted sensor, designed and built by ODIN Space. The first payload launched by the company, this sensor is the first installation of a distributed network that will deliver novel data on lethal sub-centimeter debris.
UKRI SWIMMR-1 is a radiation monitor designed to collect data for space weather monitoring. This mission addresses radiation threats to spacecraft and aircraft, which rank among the most high-profile space weather risks and are a key focus of the UK government’s severe space weather preparedness strategy.
AlbaPod 6P PocketQube satellite deployers are two satellite deployers specifically designed by Alba Orbital supporting various formats from 1p to 3p PocketQube format satellites. Onboard this mission, the AlbaPods will release six PocketQube satellites into orbit.
ION also hosted a further satellite from an undisclosed customer.
D-Orbit's mission control team is now performing a series of tests and diagnostics in preparation for the operational phase.
Above the Sky is ION’s fifth mission in 2023. D-Orbit launched its first ION in September 2020 aboard an Arianespace VEGA launcher. With this launch, the company will have transported to space more than 110 payloads collectively.
(Source: D-Orbit news release. Images from file)