Name

IRIDE-MS2-HEO-1

Alternate Names

HEO Pathfinder (a.k.a. Patricio)

Satellite ID

NZXL-7963-6359-3424-9666

NORAD ID

62697

Website

https://argotecgroup.com/missions/earth-orbits/heo

Operator

ESA - European Space Agency

Country of Origin

Italy

Launch Date

2025-01-14T18:49:00+00:00

Deploy Date

2025-01-14T22:28:00+00:00

The satellite Pathfinder Hawk for Earth Observation (HEO), part of one of the constellations of the IRIDE system, the Italian funded space programme through the funds of the PNRR. Coordinated by the Space Agency European (ESA) with the support of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the programme provides for the implementation of constellations satellites dedicated to the Observation of the Earth, including the Hawk for Earth Observation, developed by the Italian company Argotec. Pathfinder, this is the name of the microsatellite of the IRIDE programme, party regularly from the US base at Vandenberg, California, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Pathfinder, weighing 65 kg, is the first in the constellation HEO (Hawk for Earth Observation), made by Argotec for the IRIDE program. The constellation provides for the launch of other nine satellites by 2025, to which will be added further Fifteen satellites by June 2026. IRIDE is one of the most important dedicated European programmes Earth observation, initiated by the Italian Government and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Its realization is entrusted to the Space Agency European, with the participation of the Italian Space Agency, the constellation IRIDE will deliver to the ground images of our planet, contributing to crucial activities such as the protection of the environment, monitoring of climate change and the support for civil protection.