ION Satellite Carrier by D-Orbit Marks Another Success in Spacelogistics with 'Beyond' Mission

ION Satellite Carrier by D-Orbit Marks Another Success in Spacelogistics with 'Beyond' Mission
by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 12, 2023

D-Orbit, a leader in spacelogistics and orbital transportation, is once again making headlines with the successful launch of its 13th commercial mission, named 'Beyond'. The mission utilizes D-Orbit's cutting-edge Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV), the ION Satellite Carrier, demonstrating the company's continued excellence in the space sector.

The Falcon 9 rocket, a reliable workhorse in the space launch arena, lifted off at 10:19 AM PT from Space Launch Complex 4 (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This launch marked another significant achievement for D-Orbit, as the ION Satellite Carrier was deployed into an approximately 560-km Sun Synchronous Orbit, a favored orbit for Earth observation missions due to its consistent lighting conditions.

Dr. Renato Panesi, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of D-Orbit, conveyed his enthusiasm for the mission's success. "This mission, with its diverse composition, perfectly showcases the flexibility of our ION Satellite Carrier. This has been a remarkably intense year, filled with challenges and as many satisfactions. We are now truly looking forward to 2024, a year that will mark the acquisition of several new milestones, which we are eager to share with the industry at large," he said.

The ION Satellite Carrier's unique capability to individually place satellites into specific orbital slots, as well as host a variety of third-party payloads, has been a game-changer in the space industry. This mission is no exception, featuring an array of payloads from different sectors and countries.

Key payloads aboard the ION Satellite Carrier for this mission include:

ALISIO-1, a CubeSat by the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) and IACTEC Space. This satellite is the first from the Canary Islands for Earth Observation and is equipped with a DRAGO2 camera and an optical laser communications module. It aims to play a significant role in disaster prevention and response.

NANO FF A and NANO FF B, two CubeSats by TU Berlin, supported by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). These satellites will attempt a controlled formation flight in orbit, a first for TU Berlin's compact-sized satellites.

LOGSATS, a 3U CubeSat by Patriot Infovention, launched to demonstrate Thailand's first space-based Internet-of-Things (IoT) communications and aviation monitoring systems.

PONO 1, a 2U CubeSat by Privateer, offering advanced computing, storage, and data transmission capabilities in space. Its integration is aimed at enhancing asset tracking and collision risk assessment.

Z01 SuperTorquer by Zenno Astronautics, a pioneering technology demonstrating the use of high-temperature superconducting electromagnets in space for fuel-free satellite positioning.

RECS, a collaborative payload by D-Orbit and the Space Propulsion Laboratory (SPLab) of Politecnico di Milano, focusing on in-orbit refueling and green propellants research.

MI:1, a mission by TRL11 to test a prototype space-aware edge computer in orbit.

AlbaPod 6P, two satellite deployers by Alba Orbital Ltd, designed to deploy 6P PocketQube satellites, highlighting the potential of small-scale space assets.