ATHENE-1

ATHENE-1

Mission type	Technology demonstration
COSPAR ID	2026-227BB
Website	seranis.de/mission-1
Spacecraft properties
Bus	Triton-X Heavy
Manufacturer	LuxSpace University of the Bundeswehr Munich
Start of mission
Launch date	2 October 2026
Rocket	Falcon 9
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Sun-synchronous
Seamless Radio Access Network for Internet of Space (SeRANIS) ←  GENA-OT

ATHENE-1 is a technology demonstration satellite developed by LuxSpace and the University of the Bundeswehr Munich as part of the Bundeswehr's research program Seamless Radio Access Networks for Internet of Space (SeRANIS). The satellite's objective is to perform 22 experiments focused on topics including satellite communications, reconnaissance, navigation, machine learning, and in-space data processing. ^[1] The 400 kg spacecraft is based on the Triton-X Heavy small satellite platform created by LuxSpace. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]} It was launched to Low Earth orbit on 2 October 2026 aboard the Falcon 9 rideshare mission Transporter-18. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

Transporter-18 encapsulation

References

1. "Research platform for the satellite communications of tomorrow: ATHENE-1 technology demonstrator successfully launched - ohb.de". 2026-10-02. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
2. "ATHENE-1 technology demonstrator on its way to launch site - ohb.de". 2026-08-27. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
3. "SeRANIS kooperiert mit Start-up, um Experimente früher im Orbit zu testen". dtec.bw (in German). Retrieved 2026-09-29.
4. SpaceRef (2022-10-27). "Space Innovation for Earth with the SeRANIS Mission". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
5. "Cube1G". www.dlr.de. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
6. "Important milestone in the SeRANIS Project. – SeRANIS – New Space Connected" . Retrieved 2026-09-29.
7. Aktuell, Militaer (2025-12-04). "Bundeswehr University Munich launches satellite mission" . Retrieved 2026-09-29.
8. "Transporter-18". SpaceX. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
9. Wall, Mike (2026-10-01). "SpaceX launches Google AI satellite, 129 other payloads on 2nd leg of spaceflight tripleheader (video)". Space. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
10. "Research platform for the satellite communications of tomorrow: ATHENE-1 technology demonstrator successfully launched | Corporate - EQS News". www.eqs-news.com. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
11. "Transporter-18 SmallSats Encapsulation - NASA" . Retrieved 2026-10-13.