15/01/2025
13 views
0 likes
The first IRIDE satellite – the Pathfinder Hawk – is now in orbit around Earth after lifting off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on 14 January.
As its ‘Pathfinder’ name suggests, this new microsatellite is a prototype for one of the six IRIDE constellations, which are tailored to provide information for a wide range of environmental, emergency and security services for Italy.
Initiated by the Italian Government, the IRIDE programme leverages resources from the EU-funded Recovery and Resilience Plan for Italy (PNRR), along with funding from Italy’s National Complementary Plan.
ESA’s role is to work with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to realise the six satellite constellations for the IRIDE programme.
Each of the six constellations carries specific satellite technology, from radar and optical to hyperspectral and multispectral instruments. The overall IRIDE constellation is expected to be operational by June 2026.
As a prototype, the Pathfinder for the Hawk for Earth Observation constellation, launched yesterday, will use its camera-like instrument to show how this constellation can image with a ground resolution of just three metres.
President of ASI, Teodoro Valente, said, “The launch of the Pathfinder Hawk satellite marks a major milestone for the IRIDE programme and for the entire Italian space sector.
“This satellite is destined to test the path of the IRIDE constellation, a programme that is the result of the strategic vision of the Italian government, which has strongly supported and financed this infrastructure as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, reaffirming the country’s commitment to research and innovation.
“Thanks to the coordination of ESA and the Italian Space Agency, and to the collaboration of national industry, Italy confirms its role as technological and scientific leader in Earth observation.”
ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, also noted, “Having the Pathfinder Hawk satellite now in orbit marks a very important milestone for the IRIDE programme, which we are proud to be a part of.
“I’d like to congratulate Argotec on this significant achievement and look forward to seeing the IRIDE system further expand this year.”
The Hawk constellation, which is being developed by the Italian company Argotec, will provide data to improve services for costal and maritime monitoring, land cover and use, and emergency and security services for Italy.
In the coming weeks, Argotec’s Flight Control Team will be busy commissioning and optimising the Pathfinder satellite to ensure that the important and delicate operations planned for IRIDE can be carried out.
Nine more Hawk satellites will be launched by the end of this year, followed by a further 15 satellites by June 2026.