IAC ALISIO-1 CubeSat Launch Contract Announced by D-Orbit

D-Orbit has entered into a contract in collaboration with Elecnor Deimos for the launch and deployment of ALISIO-1, a 6U CubeSat procured by Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC). ALISIO-1 will be launched onboard ION Satellite Carrier, D-Orbit’s flexible and cost-effective satellite platform able to precisely deploy satellites in orbit and facilitate the testing of new technologies in space.

“This kind of affordable high performance space missions would have been unconceivable just a few years ago. We are proud to partner with them and Elecnor Deimos Space and launch the first Canary Island satellite.”

Renato Panesi, D-Orbit’s Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer.

The satellite’s payload, fully developed by IAC, is an upgraded version of DRAGO (Demonstrator for Remote Analysis of Ground Observations), a short-wave infrared (SWIR) space camera able to acquire images in the range between 1 micron and 1.7 microns. An earlier version of DRAGO was integrated as a third-party payload on D-Orbit’s orbital transportation vehicle ION Satellite Carrier SCV002, and successfully tested in orbit in March 2021.

“We are very glad that Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias chose to work with us once more, this time as a launch partner,” said Renato Panesi, D-Orbit’s Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer. “This kind of affordable high performance space missions would have been unconceivable just a few years ago. We are proud to partner with them and Elecnor Deimos Space and launch the first Canary Island satellite.”

ALISIO-1 CubeSat will Carry a New DRAGO Payload

The new version of the payload, named DRAGO-2, will reduce the ground sampling distance (GSD), which is a metric for photogrammetry and measurements in drone mapping and surveying projects, down to about 50 m. ALISIO-1 is IAC’s first satellite. Its mission consists in taking medium-high resolution SWIR images for environmental studies on desertification, oil spills and wildfires impact. The target orbit for this mission is a 500 to 700 km (≈310-435 mile) sun-synchronous LEO orbit.

‘With the launch and deployment of IAC’s ALISIO-1 we will have a better insight of the requirements needed for the next Earth and astronomy missions, through the application of state-of-the-art technologies,’ states Pablo Morillo, Elecnor Deimos Satellite Systems Director. ‘This collaboration is also another example of the strong and enduring cooperation we are building with D-Orbit in small satellites deployment using Space Tugs, representing a step further in our commercial strategy for future complex constellations.”

The mission is scheduled to launch in Q3 2023.

(Source: D-Orbit news release. Courtesy Images)