Roadmap
PHASE 1 - COMMISSIONING
As soon as ION SCV006 Thrilling Thomas reaches orbit, our spacecraft operations engineers establish a bidirectional communication channel. We then start the launch and early orbit phase (LEOP), neutralizing the rotation imparted by the launch vehicle during separation, correcting the attitude, testing the satellite’s subsystems, and preparing for the next phases.
PHASE 2 - COMMERCIAL PHASE, ORBITAL TRANSPORTATION
Once concluded the commissioning phase, ION SCV006 Thrilling Thomas starts the commercial phase of the mission with the deployment of the hosted satellites into a 525km sun-synchronous orbit. ION releases Guardian, a 6U CubeSat developed by Aistech, and SBUDNIC, a 3U CubeSat developed by Brown University, in collaboration with the Institute on Atmospheric Pollution of the National Research Council of Italy.
PHASE 3 - HOSTED PAYLOADS PHASE
After the conclusion of the deployment phase, Infinite Blue proceeds with the in-orbit demonstration of two third-party hosted payloads: a prototype nanosatellite developed by Cryptosat for secure cryptographic applications and a new type of space propulsion system developed by Genergo.
PHASE 4 - DECOMMISSIONING
At the end of the mission, the platform joins the fleet of IONs already in orbit. At the end of its life, the spacecraft is decommissioned in compliance with the Space Debris Mitigation guidelines. The pressure vessels are depleted from leftover fuel and oxidizer, the battery charging system is deactivated, and the batteries are completely discharged. The spacecraft, now inert, enters a decommissioning trajectory that will bring it to burn up upon atmospheric re-entry within a few years.
