Italy’s Earth monitoring programme reaches new milestone

The launch took place on Sunday, 3 May, at 09:00 CEST on board a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, bringing the total number of IRIDE satellites in orbit to 31.

An important indication of launch success – the communications signal from each of the satellites – was confirmed a few hours after launch at Argotec’s mission control centre in Italy.

IRIDE is a national mission initiated by the Italian government. Coordinated by the European Space Agency (ESA) with support from the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the programme is an ambitious space initiative funded by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which is designed to modernise and revitalise Italy’s economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Simonetta Cheli, Director of ESA’s Earth Observation Programmes, said, “The launch of seven more satellites from IRIDE’s HEO constellation marks a new milestone for the entire programme and an expansion of the system’s capabilities. I would like to thank the teams involved in this achievement, including the teams at ESA, ASI and Argotec. I look forward to the planned launches later this year that will further strengthen the programme’s overall capabilities as well as Italy’s industrial expertise in Earth observation.”

The HEO constellation

The constellation carries multispectral, high-resolution optical instruments, which capture image data across multiple wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. The data contribute to products and services that will help public authorities monitor costal and maritime areas, land cover and use, as well as manage emergency and security services for Italy.

The seven newly launched HEO satellites were developed by Argotec for the IRIDE programme. They join HEO Pathfinder and the seven satellites launched in June 2025. The first eight HEO satellites are fully operational and producing data and images. Below are some examples of the images captured by HEO, including the programme’s first image – a view of Rome and central Italy in high resolution.

European collaboration

Teodoro Valente, President of ASI, added, “The IRIDE constellation continues to grow, confirming its central role in developing Italy’s advanced Earth observation capabilities. The programme demonstrates the effectiveness of the Italian government's investments through the PNRR. This investment aims to strengthen the country's industrial and technological competitiveness, while also helping to equip Italy with increasingly autonomous and strategic tools for managing and protecting its territory.”

David Avino, CEO and founder of Argotec, noted, “Seeing IRIDE’s third launch is a major milestone, achieved with the commitment of an entire team of highly qualified professionals with a shared passion. Today, our programme is more than halfway there: the satellites for the next launch are currently under development, while those in orbit have already produced concrete data and information, a tangible value for governments and our country.”

What is the IRIDE programme?

The IRIDE Earth observation system is an initiative by the Italian government to deliver comprehensive satellite data to support the monitoring of a range of phenomena. These include ground motion, land cover, hydrogeological resources, fires, coastal protection, air quality, weather and critical infrastructure.

As well as the satellite system, IRIDE also provides ground infrastructure that processes the geospatial data. The satellite images and information are used in applications and services to support public authorities in managing a wide range of environmental, emergency and security issues for Italy. The programme will also provide analytical data for the development of commercial applications by startups, small and medium-sized businesses, and industry sectors.

HEO is not the only group of satellites currently in orbit for the IRIDE programme. The Eaglet II constellation has a total of 16 satellites in orbit, with a further eight to be launched later this year. The Eaglet II satellites carry multispectral sensors, which capture images of Earth’s surface, as well as an Automatic Identification System (AIS) to support vessel traffic services. The data will be used to provide core services for Italian public authorities.