Satis (spacecraft)

Satis

Mission type	Planetary defense & asteroid exploration
Operator	ESA
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	12U CubeSat
Start of mission
Launch date	2030 (planned)
Space Safety Programme ← Ramses NEOMIR →

Satis, also known as Asteroid Inspector,^[1] is a proposed planetary defense deep-space CubeSat mission under development by the European Space Agency (ESA) the Space Safety Programme. If approved, Satis will launch in 2030 to study an asteroid.^[2] Satis will be a 12-unit CubeSat based on a similar European mission M-ARGO.^[3][4][5][6]

Proposed ESA Space Safety Fleet

Satis was also proposed as a mission to study the properties of the near-Earth asteroid Apophis before, during, and after its closest approach to Earth in April 2029. That would require launch in April 2028.^[7][8]

See also

• List of European Space Agency programmes and missions
• Ramses
• Other European deep-space CubeSat missions:
  • HENON — launch in 2026, a space weather mission, ESA's first ever stand-alone deep space CubeSat
  • M-Argo — launch in 2027, a mission to an asteroid
  • LUMIO — launch in 2027, a mission to characterize the impacts of near-Earth meteoroids on the lunar far side
  • VMMO — launch in 2028, a mission to map the distribution of water ice and ilmenite on the Moon

References

1. "Space Safety Programme at 2025 Ministerial Council". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
2. "ESA Space Safety Fleet". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
3. Kulu, Erik. "Satis". Nanosats Database. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
4. Satis: a fast-response ESA Planetary defence mission
5. "Planetary Defence Projects and Core Activities - CM22". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
6. "Redwire Leading ESA Planetary Defense Mission Study". Redwire Space. 2024-06-12. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
7. "SATIS: a mission study for a deep-space CubeSat to observe (99942) Apophis, a near-Earth potential hazardous asteroid, before, during, and after the Earth fly-by". Proceedings Volume 13546, Small Satellites Systems and Services Symposium (4S 2024); 135461O. doi:10.1117/12.3061583.full.
8. Moissl, R. (2024). "ESA Mission Options to Asteroid Apophis During the 2029 Close Approach with Earth: Programmatic and Strategic Perspective". Apophis T-5 Workshop. 3006: 2033. ISSN 0161-5297.