Roadmap
PHASE 1 - COMMISSIONING
As soon as ION SCV011 Savvy Simon reaches orbit, our spacecraft operations engineers will establish a bidirectional communication channel and start the launch and early orbit phase (LEOP), neutralizing the rotation imparted by the launch vehicle during separation, correcting the attitude, testing the satellites' subsystems, and preparing for the next phases.
PHASE 2 - COMMERCIAL PHASE, HOSTED PAYLOAD DEMONSTRATION
Once concluded the commissioning phase, ION SCV011 Savvy Simon will start the commercial phase of the mission, which will consist in the deployment of the hosted satellites and the in-orbit demonstration of third-party payloads hosted onboard.
Throughout the mission, ION SCV011 Savvy Simon will deploy satellites for several clients, including AAC Clyde Space (respectively for Wyvern and ORBCOMM), ASI/Politecnico di Torino, Alba Orbital, Outpost and one undisclosed customer; the OTV will also perform in-orbit demonstration of hosted payloads from SpacePNT, UKRI/RAL Space and ODIN Space.
In order to release the satellites into the precise operational orbital slots required by customers, ION SCV011 Savvy Simon will perform a series of complex orbital maneuvers.
PHASE 3 - DECOMMISSIONING
At the end of the mission, the platform will join the fleet of IONs already in orbit and operated by the company. At the end of its life, the spacecraft will be decommissioned in compliance with the Space Debris Mitigation guidelines. The pressure vessels will depleted from leftover fuel and oxidizer, the battery charging system will be deactivated, and the batteries will be completely discharged. The spacecraft, now inert, will enter a decommissioning trajectory that will bring it to burn up upon atmospheric re-entry within a few years.