The contracts, announced at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, are part of a larger effort to create Europe's largest Earth-observation constellation. Thales Alenia Space will contribute six radar satellites and Argotec will provide 15 optical satellites, totaling more than 140 million euros ($152 million).
IRIDE, a project funded by Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan and managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian space agency (ASI), aims to provide a wide range of Earth observation capabilities, including: land use, coastal protection, precision agriculture, and defense.
"Leveraging our experience onboard major Earth observation programs, we are ready to reinforce our capabilities in the small satellite segment," said Giampiero Di Paolo, Thales Alenia Space senior vice president for Observation, Exploration and Navigation. "Based on a series of sensing instruments and technologies, 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."
Argotec is nearing completion of the initial batch of 10 satellites it is supplying for IRIDE. The Argotec satellites, weighing approximately 70 kilograms, are equipped with computers for on-orbit image processing. The company plans to produce the next 15 IRIDE satellites at its SpacePark facility near Turin, which is scheduled to open on October 18.
"We are extremely proud to once again be at the forefront of this strategic program for the entire Italian space sector," said Argotec CEO David Avino. "We have proven once again that we are able to manufacture, validate and deliver excellent products in record time. For us, the signing of this second contract is further recognition of Argotec's reliability and efficiency."
The first IRIDE satellites are scheduled to launch in 2025. "Thanks to the synergy between the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, the program is progressing according to plan," said Simonetta Cheli, ESA Earth Observation Programmes director.