Rendering of Italy’s IRIDE constellation, built by Thales Alenia Space. Photo: Thales

The European Space Agency (ESA) ordered six more satellites from Thales Alenia Space and 15 satellites from Argotec for the Italian Earth observation IRIDE constellation.

IRIDE is an Italian government project funded as part of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The constellation is set to be operational by 2026 and is managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in conjunction with the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The satellites will provide data not only to environmental researchers and to Italy’s Civil Protection and other Public Administrations to protect coasts, monitor critical infrastructures, air quality and weather conditions.

Argotec will deliver 15 satellites, on top of 10 satellites the company was contracted for in December of 2022. The Argotec satellites have a mass of about 70 kg and are equipped with an on-board computer that is capable of processing images directly on-orbit. Argotec’s contract is worth around 33 million euros ($36 million), as ESA reported the two contracts have combined value of more than 140 million euros ($152 million).

Thales will build 12 small satellites with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology and one satellite with optical technology. ESA placed the first order for six satellites in March of 2023. Thales reported its contract is worth 107 million euros ($116 million). 

All 12 satellites will be built in Italy, based on the Thales Nimbus (New Italian Micro Bus) platform. The optical payload is being developed by the Italian companies Media Lario and TSD-space. 

“The IRIDE constellation will range from microwave imaging with radar sensors to optical imaging at various spatial resolutions and in different frequency ranges, making it a cutting-edge space program in Earth Observation. The radar technology on board this program will be a crucial pillar of our all-in-one Earth observation solution, which effectively combines optical and radar small satellites to ensure high revisit frequency and control for near real-time monitoring.”