Seven Italian satellites in orbit, the Iris constellation takes shape
Iris is now truly a constellation. SpaceX's Falcon 9 took off at 11:25 p.m. in Italy on June 23, from the Californian base of Vandenberg, delivering into orbit seven Italian satellites built by Argotec , a Made in Italy fleet financed with funds from the Pnrr, for Earth observation. About three hours after the launch, the signal was acquired that confirmed the correct functioning of the satellites, positioned at 560 kilometers above sea level, an operation followed by Argotec's Mission control center, the company reports.
This is the first group of satellites, together with a precursor launched in January, of what is defined as a "constellation of constellations", dedicated in particular to monitoring the national territory with different sensors for the control of the soil, the environment, the sea and to provide support to security and emergency services. Its size, up to 60 satellites, places it among the first institutional space infrastructures, especially at European level.
Argotec's satellites are based on a Heo (Hawk for Earth Observation) platform, designed to accommodate different instruments depending on the client. These are "microsatellites", weighing just 65 kilos and the size of a dishwasher, and they house a telescope as a payload that will be pointed towards the Earth to take images at a resolution of less than three meters per pixel. High but not very high, given that the most advanced ones reach 30 centimeters per pixel, but still superior to those currently available for monitoring our Peninsula. They are multispectral optical sensors, which collect visible light, like that sent by the first satellite launched, also an Argotec Hawk, as a precursor, on January 14, 2025, but also in the near infrared.
Made in Italy Technology"The Iris constellation is starting to take shape in orbit. It is a significant milestone, of which we are very proud, for the strategic importance - recalls the president of the Italian Space Agency, Teodoro Valente - that the project has on several fronts. First of all, for the health of our planet: the activities related to the constellation will be able to count on new and powerful "eyes" from space, which will help us protect, study climate change and defend the delicate balance of our ecosystem".
The satellites of the Iride constellation are mass-produced by Argotec, in the new plant , the Space park in San Mauro Turin. Also for this reason, Iride adds value to Italian technology, pushing for a manufacturing in step with the times, increasingly pressing, of the demand for space services, the concepts of small, modular and scalable devices, with faster processing and integration times, go in this direction. To put the constellation into orbit, Argotec needed less than three years from the signing of the contract.
Officina stellare , a consolidated reality in space optics, has built the telescopes, while Exprivia is instead responsible for the instrumentation for processing images on the ground: "It is an important result also because it testifies to the level of competence and consolidation achieved by our supply chain, which has been able to realize a challenging and complex program in record time - concludes Valente - the joint effort between the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the European Space Agency (ESA) has allowed us to capitalize on and be able to guide the investments of the Italian government coming from the Pnrr funds".
"It is a great satisfaction - says David Avino, CEO and founder of Argotec - to witness a new launch after a few months. It is a commitment that involves our team to offer our country latest-generation tools to monitor our Planet. A goal made possible by the know-how and the all-in-house production model of the SpacePark, key elements of the Italian excellence and innovation that characterize us. By 2026, Argotec is ready to produce up to 25 satellites, all equipped with multispectral optical sensors capable of acquiring images in different wavelengths, both in the visible and near infrared".
"This milestone represents an important step for the Iride programme, whose satellite data will be able to support the protection of our planet, the management of resources and global security - says Simonetta Cheli, Director of ESA's Earth Observation Programmes and of the ESA Esrin Centre - I would like to congratulate Argotec, Officina Stellare, Exprivia and all the companies involved in the creation of this constellation. Soon new Iride constellations, created by other industrial groups, will be sent into space, further expanding the programme's capabilities. With this mission, we demonstrate once again the ability to put technology at the service of humanity to support the most urgent challenges".
The Iride program involves the deployment of six satellite constellations, which overall may include over 60 satellites. Financed with an investment of over one billion euros from the funds of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, supported by national funds, it is a project coordinated by the European Space Agency, with the support of the ASI. And materially created by companies in our country. It involves several clients, each involved in a segment of the constellation: Argotec will supply 25 satellites, Thales Alenia Space Italia will contribute with six satellites equipped with synthetic aperture radar, a technology in which Italy is at the forefront, to monitor ground movements such as landslides and volcanic activity, the movements of buildings and infrastructures such as roads, viaducts and bridges. To these will be added four satellites of the Italian Platino program, built by Sitael, another important Italian private space company, which have multispectral sensors on board, valuable for precision agriculture, pollution and the health of forests.
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