D-Orbit is working towards a space servicing infrastructure that will enable the growth of the next-generation space industry. These services will be powered by proprietary robotic servicing vehicles designed to achieve multiple mission objectives throughout their lifespan.
ION Hosted Payload Service
ION Hosted Payload Service is a service that enables space hardware developers to quickly get a payload to orbit for testing or operations.
The payloads are hosted inside ION Satellite Carrier, D-Orbit’s proprietary orbital transfer vehicle, which is launched multiple times a year. An innovative plug-and-play mechanical, electrical, and data interface greatly simplifies integration and testing. This advanced degree of standardization allows D-Orbit to easily re-arrange the launch schedule to accommodate last-minute changes and enables operators to repeat a given experiment over different missions.
During the experiment, ION changes its attitude to provide optimal exposure to the sun, darkness, Earth, and horizon. The hosting spacecraft provides resources like power, uplink, downlink, memory, and more. The availability of multiple launch options in LEO, SSO, and GEO every year provides the ability to switch launches in case of delay.
Space Cloud Services
D-Orbit’s Space Cloud Services turn our orbital infrastructure into a flexible cloud environment. This architecture allows organizations to run applications and process data directly in space, reducing the time between data collection and actionable insight.
Software In-Orbit Demonstration
Software In-Orbit Demonstration supports the rapid development and testing of space-based applications. Developers can use familiar tools like Linux, TensorFlow, and PyTorch to build software in virtualized containers, which can be deployed directly to our orbital platform. These applications run on the onboard computers of our ION Satellite Carrier, which integrates edge computing and AI acceleration. Onboard sensors can also enable in-orbit processing of Earth observation, imaging, and signal intelligence data, helping reduce latency and enabling faster validation of time-sensitive use cases.
Intelligence Logistics
Intelligence Logistics is an orbital infrastructure that enables a distributed network of space-based data collection and processing. Data from multiple satellites can be received, processed onboard, and routed to the appropriate destination, based on mission needs. This allows for faster delivery of information and supports real-time decision making. The system also enables automated services that combine data from different sources and distribute the results across various space and ground assets.
Practical applications include:
- Disaster Detection and Rapid Response: Real-time identification of wildfires, floods, or earthquakes using onboard sensors and AI models, with immediate processing and alerting directly from orbit to emergency response networks.
- Civil Security and Maritime Surveillance: Detection and classification of unauthorized vessels or suspicious maritime activity, with low-latency routing of alerts to coastal or border authorities.
- Urban Monitoring and Crowd Management: Near real-time crowd detection in dense urban areas for event safety, emergency evacuation planning, or public protection during crises.
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Extreme Weather and Climate Event Forecasting: Prioritized incorporation and in-orbit preprocessing of sensor data for faster prediction of dangerous weather phenomena, improving lead times for early warnings.
Satellite as a Service (SaaS)
Satellite as a Service (SaaS) is a comprehensive mission management solution that provides downstream providers with complete satellite capabilities without requiring them to develop, build, or operate their own space assets.
Unlike traditional satellite development, where operators are responsible for platform manufacturing, payload integration, testing campaigns, launch coordination, and ongoing operations, D-Orbit manages the complete mission lifecycle through its SaaS offering. Our engineering team takes care of satellite preparation, launch activities, and orbital deployment. Once operational, our mission operators provide continuous monitoring, mission planning, and data delivery, eliminating the need to maintain ground station infrastructure and dedicated operations staff.
The service enables rapid scaling from proof-of-concept missions to fully operational dedicated satellites built on D-Orbit's flight-proven proprietary platforms, with deployment timelines ranging from 6 months to 2 years.
Institutional Heritage
The IRIDE space-based observation program demonstrates institutional confidence in this service model. IRIDE is a €26 million initiative managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) with support from the Italian Space Agency (ASI) under Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Satellite as a Service approach enables government agencies to access advanced Earth observation capabilities while delegating to D-Orbit the complex task of delivering the NOX synthetic aperture radar satellite and managing complete flight operations.
You can learn more about IRIDE and NOX here.
Key benefits include:
- Rapid deployment: From concept to orbit in 6 months to 2 years depending on mission complexity.
- Proven platforms: Multiple satellite platform options, covering the most common performance requirements in LEO and GEO.
- Cost efficiency: No infrastructure investment or operational overhead required.
- Operational focus: Enables focus on payload and data utilization, not satellite operations.
- Complete support: End-to-end mission management from ground to space.
