Delft – 03 April – ISISPACE is proud to confirm the successful launch and early operations of two satellites designed and built in-house as part of the ISILAUNCH55 rideshare mission aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-16 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base earlier this week. The satellites, SPOQC and Sharjah-Sat-2, were successfully deployed from ISISPACE QuadPack deployers within one hour after lift-off, making another important milestone in ISISPACE’s ongoing support for worldwide missions.

During this ISILAUNCH55 campaign, the Dutch company brought together multiple customers, supporting them with rideshare launch services and launch equipment. This mission further demonstrates ISISPACE’s long-standing track record in enabling small satellite missions through dedicated launch campaigns and end-to-end space solutions.

“ISISPACE is proud to demonstrate, once again, its leadership in end-to-end satellite solutions, including in-orbit delivery of the satellites, combined with successfully managing and delivering launch services for our other customers aboard Transporter 16. This milestone highlights ISISPACE’s game-changing capability to simplify access to space, enabling international customers to reliably deploy their missions and accelerate innovation in orbit”, said Jeroen Rotteveel, CEO at ISISPACE.

The SPOQC satellite aims to demonstrate how satellite-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) can enable secure communications beyond the distance limitations of terrestrial fibre networks, extending ultra-secure encryption capabilities on a global scale.

With satellite systems and services supplied by ISISPACE to its customer, the Integrated Quantum Networks Hub, a UK research consortium funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), this 12U payload builds on the experience gained with the SPEQTRE mission, a QKD demonstrator led by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council’s RAL Space and SpeQtral (Singapore), built, designed, and launched by ISISPACE during the ISILAUNCH52 mission last November.

Operating quantum payloads in orbit presents significant technical challenges. Maintaining fragile quantum links between satellite and ground stations requires extremely precise pointing, tracking, and optical alignment; challenges which will be addressed by the ISISPACE team and its customer.

Professor Gerald Buller, Director, Integrated Quantum Networks Hub, said: “The Integrated Quantum Networks (IQN) Hub values its strong partnership with ISISPACE, whose technical support has been central to developing the SPOQC satellite. This successful collaboration has enabled us to address the substantial technical challenges involved in bringing a mission of this scale and ambition to its current state of readiness.”

ISISPACE also launched Sharjah-Sat-2, a 6U XL platform developed in collaboration with the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology (SAASST), part of the University of Sharjah.

This mission marks another significant milestone in the Emirate’s growing space programme. The satellite integrates several key avionics systems from the ISISPACE portfolio, including S-band TT&C, X-band high-rate data downlink, and a highly accurate AOCS, designed to support demanding Earth observation operations.

The mission will benefit three Sharjah Governmental Departments: The Sharjah Electricity, Water, and Gas Authority (SEWA), Sharjah Municipality Services, and the Department of Town Planning and Survey in Sharjah.

The hyperspectral imaging payload, provided by Simera Sense, can capture Earth observation data at approximately 5 meters ground sampling distance (GSD). With 400 individually selectable spectral bands in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths, the system enables detailed analysis of environmental conditions, land use, and natural resources, unlocking insights that go far beyond conventional imaging.

In order to build local expertise, one of the key objectives of the programme, scientists, researchers, and engineers from SAASST have been closely involved in system design, assembly, integration, and testing (AIT), gaining hands-on experience throughout the mission lifecycle.

Following launch, the satellite platform and payload will be operated by the SAASST team, marking an important step in strengthening local satellite capabilities in Sharjah, UAE. Prof. Hamid M. K. Al Naimiy, Director General of SAASST, said: “We launched a 6U CubeSat to strengthen awareness and response capabilities, advance scientific research, and engage local entities through shared data and collaboration.”

ISISPACE supported several customers on this launch by providing heritage satellite subsystems to multiple spacecraft onboard. This includes the AIS capable antenna systems delivered to OHB Italia S.p.A. for its Eaglet II satellites, part of the IRIDE Programme. With the deployment of eight additional satellites on this launch, the number of Eaglet II satellites in orbit has now grown to 16, further advancing the development of the IRIDE Earth observation constellation and supporting applications such as environmental monitoring, resource management and security.

The Dutch company once again supported the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) during this mission, following the successful collaboration on PARUS-T1, PARUS-T2, and the PARUS 3U CubeSat series. TASA has now launched its latest 6U CubeSat mission. For this mission, and together with our partner HelioX Cosmos, the ISISPACE team provided mission management and deployer integration support.

Bill Chang, CEO at HelioX Cosmos, said: “We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the ISISPACE team for their excellent hardware and software capabilities, especially the invaluable support from the launch team. Their agility was especially critical when mission timelines shifted; their immediate assistance in securing a new launch slot ensured the project stayed on track. This seamless execution has once again earned high praise from TASA, reinforcing the technical synergy between ISISPACE and HelioX Cosmos.”