ESA faucets NanoAvionics to construct massive cubesat for EU IOD IOV mission
by Clarence Oxford
Vilnius, Lithuania (SPX) Oct 16, 2025
ESA, appearing by way of ESTEC, has chosen Lithuania-based Kongsberg NanoAvionics to ship a big cubesat platform for the European Union’s in-orbit demonstration and validation program. Beneath the IHE1-5 Cubesat mission, 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. Remaining payload decisions will observe a system definition evaluation 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 reveal progressive 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 completely European-manufactured launch automobiles, reinforcing Europe’s end-to-end autonomy from payload improvement by way of entry to house.
“There are a lot of European entities who’ve the potential to change into 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 clients and traders is an effective way for ESA to assist the European house 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 powerful observe document of supporting worldwide organizations in demonstrating their expertise and enterprise instances in house, 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 house business additional affirms our capabilities, expertise, and orbital success charge.”
Associated Hyperlinks
Kongsberg NanoAvionics
Microsat Information and Nanosat Information at SpaceMart.com
