IRIDE
Italian Earth observation satellite system
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
IRIDE (Italian: Iniziativi di Resilienza per l'Italia Dalle Emergenze, Initiatives for Italy's Resilience from Emergencies) is an Italian Earth observation satellite programme developed under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and the National Complementary Plan (NCP). Coordinated by the European Space Agency (ESA) in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI), IRIDE aims to establish a comprehensive satellite constellation for environmental monitoring, disaster management, civil protection, security, and public administration support. The programme, involving over 73 Italian companies, is set to be fully operational by June 2026 and is designed as a "constellation of constellations" with advanced sensor technologies.[1][2][3]
OHB Italia (MS1-EAGLET2)
SITAEL S.p.A (HYP-PLATINO)
Thales Alenia Space (SAR-NIMBUS & VHR-NIMBUS)
D-Orbit (SAR-NOX)
580 kg (1,280 lb) (SAR-NOX)
| Mission type | Earth observation |
|---|---|
| Operator | ASI, ESA |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Argotec (MS2-HEO) OHB Italia (MS1-EAGLET2) SITAEL S.p.A (HYP-PLATINO) Thales Alenia Space (SAR-NIMBUS & VHR-NIMBUS) D-Orbit (SAR-NOX) |
| Launch mass | 70 kg (150 lb) (MS2-HEO) 580 kg (1,280 lb) (SAR-NOX) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | First: 14 January 2025 (IRIDE-MS2-HEO 1) Last (recent): 28 November 2025 (IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET2 1-8) |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 Vega-C |
| Launch site | Vandenberg, SLC-4E Kourou, ELV |
| Contractor | SpaceX Arianespace/Avio |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit |
Satellite Technologies
IRIDE's constellation is built on multiple platforms, enabling high-revisit rates, all-weather/day-night imaging, and versatile applications:
1) Hawk for Earth observation (HEO) platform, developed by Argotec involved in manufacturing 25 IRIDE satellites.[4]
2) EAGLET2 platform, developed by OHB Italia involved in manufacturing 24 IRIDE satellites.[5]
3) PLATINO bus, developed by SITAEL S.p.A with Hyperspectral Imaging payloads from Leonardo involved in manufacturing 5 IRIDE Satellites.[6]
4) NIMBUS platform, developed by Thales Alenia Space involved in manufacturing 12 SAR and one VHR IRIDE satellite[7][8]
5) one IRIDE-SAR-NOX satellite developed by D-Orbit for the IRIDE programme[9][10]
Launch history
| Name | SATCAT | Launch date (UTC) | Launch vehicle | Orbital apsis | Inclination | Period (min) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRIDE-MS2-HEO 1[11][12][13] | 62697 | 14 January 2025 | Falcon 9 Block 5
Transporter-12 |
98° | Operational | ||
| IRIDE-MS2-HEO 2[14] | 64569 | 23 June 2025 | Falcon 9 Block 5
Transporter-14 |
Operational | |||
| IRIDE-MS2-HEO 3 | 64568 | Operational | |||||
| IRIDE-MS2-HEO 4 | 64582 | Operational | |||||
| IRIDE-MS2-HEO 5 | 64571 | Operational | |||||
| IRIDE-MS2-HEO 6 | 64576 | Operational | |||||
| IRIDE-MS2-HEO 8 | 64587 | Operational | |||||
| IRIDE-MS2-HEO 9 | 64585 | Operational | |||||
| IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET2 1[15] | 28 November 2025 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Operational | ||||
| IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET2 2 | Operational | ||||||
| IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET2 3 | Operational | ||||||
| IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET2 4 | Operational | ||||||
| IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET2 5 | Operational | ||||||
| IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET2 6 | Operational | ||||||
| IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET2 7 | Operational | ||||||
| IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET2 8 | Operational | ||||||