ESA faucets NanoAvionics to construct giant cubesat for EU IOD IOV mission
by Clarence Oxford
Vilnius, Lithuania (SPX) Oct 16, 2025
ESA, appearing via ESTEC, has chosen Lithuania-based Kongsberg NanoAvionics to ship a big cubesat platform for the European Union’s in-orbit demonstration and validation program. Underneath the IHE1-5 Cubesat venture, the corporate will present a 12-16U spacecraft to host a number of European payloads for flight testing.
NanoAvionics will deal with end-to-end supply, together with spacecraft design, meeting, integration, testing, floor section, and mission operations. The platform is meant to speed up market readiness by giving rising applied sciences on-orbit efficiency knowledge and flight heritage forward of wider adoption throughout scientific, public, and business purposes.
ESA has pre-selected eight candidate payloads from greater than 50 proposals for this rideshare mission. Ultimate payload selections will observe a system definition overview within the coming months, aligning technical maturity, interfaces, and mission constraints with the bus capabilities and schedule.
IOD/IOV is an EU program entrusted to ESA underneath the Horizon Europe Work Programmes. It’s designed to display modern applied sciences and operational ideas because the final step earlier than commercialization, strengthening European provide chains and increasing the usage of space-derived knowledge and providers throughout key sectors.
Launch timing and supplier are but to be disclosed. The mission will fly underneath the European Flight Ticket Initiative and is slated to make use of solely European-manufactured launch autos, reinforcing Europe’s end-to-end autonomy from payload improvement via entry to area.
“There are numerous European entities who’ve the potential to turn out to be key actors of their expertise domains and strengthen European provide chains. Supporting them by accommodating their experiments on a platform, acquire flight heritage, and to construct confidence with potential prospects and traders is a good way for ESA to assist the European area sector. ESA trusts Kongsberg NanoAvionics functionality to well timed present this lodging service to them.”
“The IOD/IOV programme is a key instrument of the European Fee. This mission displays the worth of shut collaboration between ESA and European business in advancing new capabilities each in orbit and out there.
“NanoAvionics has a robust monitor file of supporting worldwide organizations in demonstrating their expertise and enterprise instances in area, and serving to them transition to business in-orbit operations by offering dependable satellite tv for pc platforms. Being entrusted by ESA with this newest mission to assist strengthen the competitiveness of the European area business additional affirms our capabilities, expertise, and orbital success price.”
Associated Hyperlinks
Kongsberg NanoAvionics
Microsat Information and Nanosat Information at SpaceMart.com
