D-Orbit signs launch-services contract with ArkEdge Space
D-Orbit · ArkEdge Space
D-Orbit will fly ArkEdge Space demo satellites on its ION carrier from 2027, per SpaceNews.
what happened
D-Orbit will provide launch and orbital transportation services for multiple ArkEdge Space demonstration satellites aboard its ION Satellite Carrier, with launches starting in 2027, per SpaceNews; the companies did not disclose a satellite count or dollar figure. D-Orbit co-founder Matteo Andreas Lorenzoni called it 'one of the most significant contracts D-Orbit has signed to date.' ArkEdge's own release says the satellites are 6U-class platforms developed under Japan's NEDO K-Program, covering VDES, satellite IoT, and maritime RF-sensing technology demonstrations.
why it matters
The deal extends D-Orbit's Asia-Pacific push, brokered by Japanese trading house Marubeni, and gives ArkEdge dependable rideshare cadence for a string of small technology-demonstration satellites rather than one-off launch bookings. It is a data point on D-Orbit's ION carrier gaining share as a launch broker alongside direct rideshare bookings on vehicles like Falcon 9.
for who
Smallsat constellation operators evaluating orbital-transportation brokers
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- D-Orbit, ArkEdge Space
- Category
- contract
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-07-08
- Published
- 2026-07-08 03:51 UTC