Partnership Projects

The next batch of the Greek In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD)/ In-Orbit Validation (IOV) CubeSat missions – developed with support from the European Space Agency (ESA) – is ready for launch in November this year. Having successfully completed functional and environmental testing, the two PHASMA mission spacecraft, LAMARR and DIRAC, developed by the Libre Space Foundation, and the PRISMA Electronics-developed MICE-1, have been delivered to the launch service provider ExoLaunch, ready for launch with the SpaceX Transporter-15 rideshare mission.

The next step towards quantum-enabled sovereign and secure connectivity for Europe was made this week, as Honeywell signed a contract with the European Space Agency initiating the delivery phase of the Quantum Key Distribution Satellite (QKDSat) Partnership Project. The signature took place during the World Space Business Week on 16 September, between the Director of ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications, Laurent Jaffart, and Honeywell Vice President and General Manager for Space, Lisa Napolitano.

A payload featuring advanced telecommunications antennas, developed under the European Space Agency (ESA)-Hisdesat Pacis 3 Partnership Project and carried on board the SpainSat New Generation I (NG I) satellite, has successfully conducted its in-orbit switch-on for the first time. The achievement, which also benefits from collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space, the Spanish Space Agency, Spain’s government as well as the country’s key space industry players, marks a major milestone for secure satellite communications in Europe.

The announcement took place during the UK Space Conference in Manchester, emphasising the UK Space Agency’s commitment to lunar exploration and development of deep space exploration technologies alongside ESA.

DUTHSat-2, the first of the Greek In Orbit Demonstration (IOD) CubeSat missions, has successfully launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, US, on 23 June on a SpaceX Falcon 9. The 6U CubeSat was one of many payloads aboard the Transporter-14 rideshare mission, which also carried 70 other payloads, including MicroSats, CubeSats and re-entry capsules. Early operations, commissioning and calibration activities of the spacecraft have begun.

The European Space Agency (ESA), in collaboration with Hellenic Aerospace Industry S.A. (HAI) as prime contractor and BCT Group as main subcontractor, has officially kicked off the contract for the implementation of a cleanroom and supporting infrastructure at the Hellenic Assembly, Integration & Testing Facility (HAITF).

The first of the Greek In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) CubeSat missions, DUTHSat-2, which is led by the Democritus University of Thrace, has been delivered to the launch provider ExoLaunch, and is ready for launch on the SpaceX Transporter-14 rideshare mission, scheduled for June 2025. Having successfully completed functional and environmental testing in February 2025, the 6U CubeSat mission will capture images in the visible and near infrared spectrum, over both sea and land.