Urdaneta-Armsat

Armenia has been seeking to develop a space program since the 2020s, particularly aiming to achieve strategic autonomy in the satellite field.^{[citation needed]} The country embarked on a dual program, enlisting the services of the Spanish company Satlantis Microsats in collaboration with its national company Geocosmos^[1] to develop a series of research satellites called Urdaneta-Armsat.^[2] Additionally, Armenia began developing a fully Armenian program to achieve strategic autonomy, including the launch of the Hayasat-1 satellite towards the end of 2023.^[3][4]

The Urdaneta-Armsat series consists of satellites commissioned by Armenia, equipped with the Satlantis iSIM-907 optical device.^[5] These satellites are intended for non-military observation purposes, such as agricultural organization and security.^[6] They weigh 16.4kg and are designed to operate in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 530km.^[7] The expected lifespan of these satellites is around 4 years.^[8]

The first satellite of the series, named Urdaneta-Armsat-1, was launched into orbit on 25 May 2022,^[2] from Cape Canaveral using a SpaceX^[8] Falcon 9^[9][10] rocket. It was the first Armenian satellite in orbit and was also described as the first Basque satellite, as Satlantis is a Basque company.^[7]

The Armenian side expressed satisfaction with the launch and operation of Armsat-1, leading them to sign a longer contract with Satlantis.^[7]

At least a second satellite is planned.^[5] During the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, the satellite captured images of areas affected by conflict, although Armenian authorities stated that it was not used for military purposes.^[8] As a development, Armenia is constructing a control center within its borders to enhance its monitoring and development capabilities in relation to this satellite and future ones.^[11]