List of ESA CubeSats

ESTCube-1, the first Estonian satellite
GomX-4A (left) and GomX-4B (right)
QARMAN CubeSat in test chamber

Since the 2010s, the European Space Agency (ESA) has supported the development or launch of numerous CubeSat-type small satellites through various programmes:

General Support Technology Programme (GSTP)

QARMAN CubeSat deployed from ISS
SpaceX Transporter-15 rideshare mission in November 2025 launched, among others, HydroGNSS, PHASMA, IRIDE EAGLET2 1–8, GENA-OT, MICE-1, and AIX-1+

GSTP also supports other non-CubeSat small satellite missions, e.g. MicroHETsat or the PROBA series.

Fly Your Satellite! (FYS)

FYS is an educational programme for student teams developing CubeSats or PocketQubes

InCubed

The InCubed co-funding programme, managed by ESA's Φ-lab, supports innovative technologies for Earth observation satellities.

Space Safety Programme (S2P)

Greek CubeSat In-Orbit Validation

IOD/IOV

IOD/IOV is a European Union programme funded through Horizon 2020 and entrusted to ESA. IOD/IOV also supports other non-CubeSat small satellite missions, e.g. ΣYNDEO‑3.

Other programmes

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Technology CubeSats". www.esa.int. Archived from the original on 3 November 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
  2. ↑ "ESA Technology CubeSats". www.esa.int. Archived from the original on 6 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
  3. ↑ "Planetek supporting microHETSat the first all-electric small satellite | Planetek Italia". www.planetek.it. Archived from the original on 19 January 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  4. ↑ "Information Session: General Support Technology Programme (GSTP)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  5. ↑ "About Fly Your Satellite!". www.esa.int. Archived from the original on 29 November 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  6. ↑ Kulu, Erik. "AAUSAT5". Nanosats Database. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  7. ↑ Cowing, Keith (2015-08-18). "Student Satellite Headed To International Space Station". SpaceRef. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  8. ↑ "AAUSAT5 communicates with students on Earth". AMSAT-UK. 2015-11-04. Archived from the original on 28 November 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  9. 1 2 "FLY YOUR SATELLITE! The ESA Academy CubeSats programme" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 November 2025. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  10. ↑ "Student satellites fly freely on their orbit in space". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  11. ↑ "LEDSAT is launched". www.esa.int. Archived from the original on 28 November 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  12. ↑ "LEDSAT". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  13. ↑ "Our Students Among the Best in a Prestigious ESA Program | Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology STU in Bratislava". www.fei.stuba.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-09-04.
  14. ↑ "FEIsat team, University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia, at the Fly Your Satellite! Final Design Review". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
  15. ↑ "AcubeSAT calibrates flight radiation dosimeter at ESA ESTEC". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
  16. ↑ "AcubeSAT | AcubeSAT | Space Biology Mission". acubesat.spacedot.gr. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
  17. ↑ "Da Vinci team puts satellite payloads to the test". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
  18. ↑ "Da Vinci Satellite | Elevating Education". Retrieved 2026-09-04.
  19. ↑ "Testing GIFTS for space". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
  20. ↑ "Projects - UCD Centre for Space Research". www.ucd.ie. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
  21. ↑ "InCubed". incubed.esa.int. Archived from the original on 28 October 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  22. ↑ "ESA InCubed | Startup Program – OVHcloud". startup.ovhcloud.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  23. ↑ "ESA InCubed programme" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 October 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  24. 1 2 "Two ESA Φ-lab-enabled satellites launched". www.esa.int. Archived from the original on 29 November 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  25. ↑ Southgate, Vix (2025-10-22). "Open Cosmos celebrates successful completion of landmark MANTIS mission". The British Interplanetary Society. Archived from the original on 23 October 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  26. ↑ "Hyperfield 1A, 1B". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 11 December 2025. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  27. ↑ "Hyperfield – eoPortal". Archived from the original on 19 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  28. 1 2 "InCubed launches highlight ESA's support for innovation". www.esa.int. Archived from the original on 28 October 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  29. 1 2 Musacchio, Miriam (24 January 2025). "Three InCubed-enabled Satellites Take New Heights".[dead link]
  30. ↑ "TALISMAN: A Multi-Angle Polarimetric and SWIR Instrument for Enhanced Methane Detection from Microsatellite Platforms". spie.org. Retrieved 2026-09-02.
  31. ↑ "TALISMAN | InCubed". incubed.esa.int. Archived from the original on 1 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  32. ↑ Kulu, Erik. "TALISMAN". Nanosats Database. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  33. ↑ "ESA Earth Observation Programme Proposal for CM25" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  34. ↑ Czechinvest. "Czech satellite atmosphere monitoring project successful in ESA InCubed program". czechinvest.gov.cz. Retrieved 2026-08-03.
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Three further ESA-supported Greek CubeSats ready for launch". connectivity.esa.int. 2025-09-25. Archived from the original on 17 November 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Seven missions launched to test optimised data transfer from space". www.esa.int. Archived from the original on 2 April 2026. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
  37. 1 2 3 4 "Greek CubeSats ready for assembly". www.esa.int. Archived from the original on 9 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  38. ↑ Sarunas (2025-10-15). "ESA picks Kongsberg NanoAvionics to build spacecraft for the ESA-EC "IOD/IOV" programme". NanoAvionics. Archived from the original on 15 October 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  39. ↑ "In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation (IOD/IOV) – Defence Industry and Space". defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  40. ↑ "Open Cosmos kicks off first Rideshare mission for the European Commission's IOD/IOV programme". www.open-cosmos.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  41. ↑ "Elecnor Deimos to Lead the next EU Space Programme's Cassini Mission – Deimos Space". 2023-11-30. Archived from the original on 1 November 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  42. ↑ "Cassini – ISISPACE". Retrieved 2026-09-03.
  43. ↑ "Isar Aerospace secures launch agreements with ESA". Isar Aerospace. Archived from the original on 16 February 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  44. ↑ Albertinazzi, Giancarlo (2025-08-27). "ESA Boosts Isar and Avio in the New FTI Round | Space Voyaging". Archived from the original on 1 October 2025. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  45. ↑ "Infinite Orbits selects two Open Cosmos platforms for its "Tom & Jerry" Low Earth Orbit SDA demonstration in 2027". www.open-cosmos.com. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
  46. 1 2 "FutureEO brochure" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 October 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  47. 1 2 "Innovative Scottish-built CubeSats launched". www.esa.int. Archived from the original on 21 April 2026. Retrieved 2026-04-12.
  48. ↑ "CORVUS". Spacemanic. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  49. ↑ "ESA Prepares to explore the Moon with small missions". www.esa.int. Archived from the original on 21 November 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-21.