Italy’s Iride space program continues to gain momentum, with seven new satellites successfully launched on Sunday, May 3, at 9 a.m. aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The initiative, backed by the Italian government and coordinated by the European Space Agency with support from the Italian Space Agency, is designed to enhance Earth observation capabilities. With this latest deployment, the Heo constellation now includes 15 operational satellites in orbit.
Built by Italian aerospace company Argotec, these compact satellites are capable of collecting and processing daily data and imagery of the Earth. The overall Iride network now totals 31 satellites, including those already in orbit, supported by more than €1 billion in funding from Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan and national resources.
Iride is set to become Italy’s most significant Earth observation infrastructure and one of the largest in Europe. Its mission is to provide advanced services to public authorities, including monitoring hydrogeological risks, wildfires, coastal areas, critical infrastructure, air quality, and weather conditions. At the same time, it will open new opportunities for startups, SMEs, and industrial players by making data and analytics widely available.
Each Heo satellite weighs around 70 kilograms and features a compact, modular design equipped with optical sensors capable of capturing images across multiple wavelengths at a resolution of 2.6 meters per pixel. So far, the constellation has generated over 1,700 images and more than 3,000 gigabytes of data, covering approximately 9 million square kilometers. Once completed, the system will include 25 satellites, enabling near real-time monitoring of Italy’s entire territory.