According to SpaceNews, Italy’s D-Orbit launched two ION orbital transfer vehicles aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-15 rideshare mission on November 26. The mission carried Italy’s first optical intersatellite link alongside payloads from Spire, Spaceium, Pale Blue, Aalto University, Planetek, and StardustMe. This launch pushed D-Orbit past the 200-payload milestone across all missions. The ION vehicles, named Stellar Stephanus and Galactic Georgius, were deployed into a 510-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Among the diverse payloads were four internet-of-things satellites from Spire and Lacuna Space, plus one-gram capsules of cremated human remains from StardustMe.
The Wild West of Space Payloads
Look at that payload list – it reads like a space industry buffet. You’ve got Finland’s Aalto University monitoring radiation, Japanese startup Pale Blue testing water-propellant ion engines, and even human remains. This isn’t your grandfather’s space program anymore. The diversity here tells you everything about where commercial space is heading. Basically, if you can fit it in a box and it survives launch, someone’s probably willing to pay to send it up.
What This Means for Space Business
Here’s the thing – hitting 200 payloads isn’t just a vanity metric. It shows D-Orbit has established itself as a reliable last-mile delivery service for space. Think of them as the UPS of low Earth orbit. And with companies like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com providing the rugged computing hardware needed for ground operations, the entire ecosystem is maturing. We’re seeing specialized companies emerge at every level of the space supply chain, from component manufacturers to launch providers to orbital logistics. That’s how you know an industry is getting serious.
The Real Stars Are the Technologies
Beyond the milestone number, the actual technologies being demonstrated are fascinating. Italy’s optical intersatellite link could revolutionize how satellites communicate – no more relying solely on ground stations. Spaceium’s testing robotic actuators for in-orbit fuel transfer, which sounds like sci-fi but could dramatically extend satellite lifetimes. And Pale Blue’s water-propellant engine? That’s about making space propulsion safer and more sustainable. These aren’t just academic experiments – they’re building blocks for the next generation of space infrastructure.
Where Do We Go From Here?
So what happens when space delivery becomes routine? We’re already seeing it – companies can now focus on their core technology without worrying about the logistics of getting to orbit. The barrier to entry keeps dropping. Pretty soon, we’ll stop being impressed by the number of payloads and start being impressed by what those payloads actually accomplish. The real milestone won’t be counting payloads – it’ll be counting revenue streams from services enabled by these technologies. And honestly, that future looks closer than ever.
