Wayfinder is 22nd Commercial Mission for ION Satellite Carrier
D-Orbit Launches on Transporter-16 Mission
Wayfinder, the 22nd commercial mission for the D-Orbit ION orbital transfer vehicle was launched Monday aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-16 mission. Following liftoff, ION SCV Astounding Alexandra was released into a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 510 km, or 316 miles.
“Wayfinder reflects the full range of what ION is built to do.”
Matteo Andreas Lorenzoni, D-Orbit
Wayfinder carries a diverse mission manifest, combining satellites destined for deployment into their operational orbits with hosted payloads undergoing in-orbit testing and demonstration. Upon reaching orbit, ION SCV Astounding Alexandra will join D-Orbit’s growing fleet of ION vehicles already operating in space, further expanding the network supporting D-Orbit’s Space Cloud services and in-orbit computing capabilities.
“Wayfinder reflects the full range of what ION is built to do, deploying satellites into their operational slots while simultaneously hosting payloads that need time and conditions in orbit to prove their technology, enriching our in orbit infrastructure with new nodes for our Space Cloud services,” said Matteo Andreas Lorenzoni, Director of D-Orbit Orbital Access Business Unit. “This is what sets ION apart: a single mission that delivers real value across multiple customers and use cases, making access to orbit faster, smarter, and more cost-effective for everyone on board.
ION Satellite Carrier is a versatile space vehicle capable of transporting and releasing satellites into distinct orbital slots. It can also accommodate third-party payloads, including innovative technologies, research experiments, and instruments requiring in-orbit testing. Additionally, ION can support edge computing and space cloud services, providing satellite operators with advanced storage and computational capabilities in orbit.
D-Orbit’s mission control team is now conducting the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP), setting the stage for the upcoming operational phase.
With this launch, D-Orbit has now deployed more than 220 payloads in orbit since the inaugural ION mission in 2020