SuperSharp Blue Moon satellite and the unfolding Hibiscus thermal infrared telescope aboard an MP42 microsatellite bus. Credit: SuperSharp

SuperSharp, part of the Satlantis group, selected Kongsberg NanoAvionics‘ MP42 microsatellite platform for its thermal infrared mission, called Blue Moon. Kongsberg announced the partnership Feb. 18. 

Blue Moon will feature SuperSharp’s Hibiscus instrument, an 80 kg payload designed to capture long-wave infrared imagery. The instrument will help support applications in climate resilience and national security by providing day and night imaging capabilities.

The Blue Moon satellite is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2026 on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare service. The partnership between SuperSharp and NanoAvionics is supported by the UK Space Agency.

In addition to the Blue Moon mission, NanoAvionics will supply two more MP42 microsatellite platforms to Satlantis for its next generation of sub-meter resolution Earth Observation satellites.

Marco Gomez-Jenkins, co-founder and CEO of SuperSharp, said: “The combination of our Hibiscus telescope and their MP42 satellite platform will enable new applications in this domain, from climate change mitigation to security and defense.”