ION Satellite Carrier

{{Short description|Space tug by D-Orbit}}

{{Infobox spacecraft class

| name = ION Satellite Carrier

| image =

| manufacturer = D-Orbit

| country = Italy

| website = https://www.dorbit.space/launch-deployment

| spacecraft_type = Satellite dispenser

| constellation =

| design_life = > 3 years

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{{Infobox rocket/payload

|location = LEO

|kilos = 160 kg

}}

| status = Active

| planned = 1

| orders =

| built =

| launched = 14

| operational = 14

| retired =

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| maidenlaunch = 3 September 2020

| lastlaunch = 16 August 2024

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| flown_with = Falcon 9 Block 5
Vega

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}}

ION Satellite Carrier (formerly ION CubeSat Carrier) is a satellite platform developed, manufactured, and operated by Italian company D-Orbit. The platform features a customizable 64U satellite dispenser capable of hosting a combination of CubeSats that fits the volume. Throughout a mission, ION Satellite Carrier can release the hosted satellites individually, changing orbital parameter between one deployment and the next.{{Cite web|url=https://www.spacenewsfeed.com/index.php/news/5197-d-orbit-launches-its-first-ion-satellite-carrier|title=D-Orbit launches its first ION Satellite Carrier|website=www.spacenewsfeed.com|access-date=2020-11-17|archive-date=2020-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929194448/https://www.spacenewsfeed.com/index.php/news/5197-d-orbit-launches-its-first-ion-satellite-carrier|url-status=dead}} Each of the miniature CubeSats weighs a few kilograms.

The organization also developed a D3 (D-Orbit Decommissioning Device) system, which has obtained funding from the European Commission and the European Space Agency, to safely dispose of satellites at the end of their lives and avoid adding to the problems created by the approximately 130 million pieces of space debris. According to D-Orbit, a space circular economy is feasible, and space recycling will soon be a new sector. This will involve using local resources such as dead satellites to create spaceships in space.{{Cite web|title=D-Orbit brings tiny nano satellites to space for collecting climate change data|url=https://www.eib.org/en/stories/climate-change-data-from-space|access-date=2021-05-17|website=European Investment Bank|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Mitigating space debris generation|url=https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Space_Debris/Mitigating_space_debris_generation|access-date=2021-05-17|website=www.esa.int|language=en}}

The inaugural mission, named Origin, was launched on Vega flight VV16 from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana on September 3, 2020.{{Cite web|last=Clark|first=Stephen|title=Cluster of international satellites ready for ride into orbit on Vega rocket – Spaceflight Now|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/06/27/cluster-of-international-satellites-ready-for-ride-into-orbit-on-vega-rocket/|access-date=2021-05-17|language=en-US}} The vehicle, named ION SCV Lucas, carried 12 SuperDove satellites from Planet Labs. On September 25, ION SCV Lucas released successfully the first SuperDove satellite of the batch; the last satellite was deployed on October 28. As of December 2023, ION SCV has successfully completed 13 missions, 1 as a payload of a Vega rocket and 12 as a payload of a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket.

D-Orbit is a successful alumnus of the European Space Agency's incubator, ESA BIC Portugal, and the two firms collaborated on Project Sunrise, an active debris removal project, in 2019.{{Cite web|title=Stories: Meet D-Orbit, the EIC-funded startup cleaning up space junk in orbit {{!}} European Innovation Council|url=https://community-smei.easme-web.eu/articles/stories-meet-d-orbit-eic-funded-startup-cleaning-space-junk-orbit|access-date=2021-05-17|website=community-smei.easme-web.eu}}