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Startical, a company created by Spanish air navigation services provider, ENAIRE and Indra to optimise air traffic management from space, has launched its first satellite, the IOD-1 (In-Orbit Demonstrator-1). The satellite is part of a project to demonstrate real-time communication between aircraft and air traffic control centres using standard aeronautical VHF signals transmitted from space.
IOD-1 was launched via integrator Exolaunch as part of the Transporter-13 rideshare mission with SpaceX. Startical has entrusted Danish company GomSpace with the satellite’s manufacturing, while its specification and validation have been carried out by Indra with support from ENAIRE. Additionally, Exolaunch has been selected for the satellite’s integration into the rocket and its subsequent deployment into orbit. The launch took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Equipped with a powerful VHF antenna and an ADS-B surveillance system, IOD-1 aims to demonstrate the feasibility of real-time communications between air traffic controllers and aircraft using signals transmitted from space. The satellite is part of ECHOES project, which aims to gather evidence on how this satellite-based solution can enhance ATM services and generate positive environmental effects. The project is co-funded by the European Union through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), with support from the SESAR Joint Undertaking.
The demonstrator will explore the limits of implementing these technologies on CubeSats, which are characterised by their standardised miniaturised format, low cost, and high efficiency. Placing it into orbit will validate a space-based solution designed specifically for air traffic management, fully compliant with existing aeronautical communication standards.
Startical proposes to continually monitor aircraft positions via satellite, providing real-time, high-quality voice and data communications between controllers and pilots – even in areas currently lacking coverage. ENAIRE says the technology will enable more efficient and safer air traffic management, particularly in critical situations such as route changes due to storms or onboard medical emergencies. It can also enable aircraft to select optimal routes.
In February 2025, Startical introduced its second satellite, IOD-2, which has undergone testing at Spain’s National Institute for Aerospace Technology in Madrid. Like its predecessor, IOD-2 is part of the ECHOES project.
Following the deployment of the IOD-1 and IOD-2 demonstrators, Startical will conduct various proof-of-concept tests to confirm technological viability. These studies will take place in the South Atlantic corridor, covering airspaces over the Canary Islands, Azores-Santa Maria, Dakar Oceanic, Cape Verde, and the Atlantic region of Brazil. The initiative will involve the relevant air navigation service providers.