MicroHETsat

MicroHETsat

Mission type	Technology demonstration
Operator	European Space Agency
COSPAR ID	2023-185E
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	SITAEL
Start of mission
Launch date	1 December 2023, 18:19 UTC
Rocket	Falcon 9
Launch site	Va SLC-4E
Contractor	SpaceX
General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) ←  PROBA-V CubeSat Companion PROBA-3  →

MicroHETsat, or µHETsat, is a technology demonstration satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) for testing Hall Effect Thrusters on a microsatellite platform. ^{[1] [2]} The satellite was built by the Italian company SITAEL. ^{[3] [4]} Its development was supported by ESA's optional General Support Technology Programme (GSTP). ^[5] Originally, it was expected to launch on the LauncherOne ^[6] or Vega ^[3] rocket, but was eventually launched on a Falcon 9 in December 2023. ^{[7] [8] [5] [9]}

See also

• List of European Space Agency programmes and missions

References

1. Stanzione, V.; Corbelli, A.; Mariotti, Gilles; Gregucci, S.; Torre, A.; Santandrea, S.; Ferroni, M.; Cantiello, I.; Di Clemente, M. (2025-03-21). Petrozzi-Ilstad, Max (ed.). "ESA microHETSat spacecraft acceptance, launch campaign, and in-flight experience". Proceedings Volume 13546, Small Satellites Systems and Services Symposium (4S 2024). SPIE: 5. doi:10.1117/12.3059488. ISBN   978-1-5106-8894-0.
2. Stanzione, V.; Melega, N.; Misuri, T. (2016-08-10). "IOV mission of a mini-Hall Effect Thruster (HET), on-board S-50 micro-satellite class platform". Small Satellite Conference.
3. "µHETsat". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
4. "Compact electric thruster cleared for space firing". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
5. "Planetek supporting microHETSat the first all-electric small satellite | Planetek Italia". www.planetek.it. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
6. SpaceRef (2017-08-11). "Virgin Orbit to launch SITAEL satellite in ESA/ASI program". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
7. [e-mail] (2023-12-02). "SpaceX launches SITAEL's microHETSat". SITAEL S.p.A. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
8. Staff, Editorial (2024-01-30). "The made in Apulia electric satellite is in orbit". Electric Motor Engineering. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
9. SITAEL (2024-03-07). "Italy in Space: Setting New Records for Electric Propulsion in Routine Operations". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2026-01-17.