ESA taps NanoAvionics to build large cubesat for EU IOD IOV mission

ESA taps NanoAvionics to build large cubesat for EU IOD IOV mission
by Clarence Oxford
Vilnius, Lithuania (SPX) Oct 16, 2025

ESA, acting through ESTEC, has chosen Lithuania-based Kongsberg NanoAvionics to deliver a large cubesat platform for the European Union's in-orbit demonstration and validation program. Under the IHE1-5 Cubesat project, the company will provide a 12-16U spacecraft to host multiple European payloads for flight testing.

NanoAvionics will handle end-to-end delivery, including spacecraft design, assembly, integration, testing, ground segment, and mission operations. The platform is intended to accelerate market readiness by giving emerging technologies on-orbit performance data and flight heritage ahead of wider adoption across scientific, public, and commercial applications.

ESA has pre-selected eight candidate payloads from more than 50 proposals for this rideshare mission. Final payload choices will follow a system definition review in 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 under the Horizon Europe Work Programmes. It is designed to demonstrate innovative technologies and operational concepts as the last step before commercialization, strengthening European supply chains and expanding the use of space-derived data and services across key sectors.

Launch timing and provider are yet to be disclosed. The mission will fly under the European Flight Ticket Initiative and is slated to use exclusively European-manufactured launch vehicles, reinforcing Europe's end-to-end autonomy from payload development through access to space.

"There are many European entities who have the potential to become key actors in their technology domains and strengthen European supply chains. Supporting them by accommodating their experiments on a platform, gain flight heritage, and to build confidence with potential customers and investors is a great way for ESA to support the European space sector. ESA trusts Kongsberg NanoAvionics capability to timely provide this accommodation service to them."

"The IOD/IOV programme is a key instrument of the European Commission. This mission reflects the value of close collaboration between ESA and European industry in advancing new capabilities both in orbit and in the market.

"NanoAvionics has a strong track record of supporting international organizations in demonstrating their technology and business cases in space, and helping them transition to commercial in-orbit operations by providing reliable satellite platforms. Being entrusted by ESA with this latest mission to help strengthen the competitiveness of the European space industry further affirms our capabilities, experience, and orbital success rate."