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Hydra (satellite constellation)

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Hydra
Country of originSpain Spain
OperatorAistech
Websiteaistechspace.com
Specifications
BusCubeSat
Production
Planned48
Launched2
Maiden launch11 January 2026
Last launch3 May 2026, 7:00 UTC
Related spacecraft
Launch vehicleFalcon 9

Hydra is a satellite constellation of thermal imaging Earth observation small satellites under development by the Spanish company Aistech.[1][2][3][4] It is designed to provide thermal infrared imagery for agriculture, hydrology, environmental risk monitoring, and security applications.[5] In 2023, Hydra has been selected by ESA as one of the Copernicus Contributing Missions (CCMs) providing data to the EU's Copernicus Programme.[6][7][8]

Satellites

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The first satellite of the constellation, the 6U CubeSat Hydra 2 was launched on 11 January 2026 aboard Falcon 9's rideshare mission Twilight.[9][10][11] Aistech published the first images from Hydra 2 in April 2026.[12] The second satellite, Hydra 3, was launched on Falcon 9's CAS500-2 rideshare mission on 3 May 2026 at 7:00 UTC.[13][14][15][16]

See also

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  • OroraTech – German aerospace company
  • HiVE – Earth observation satellite constellation

References

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  1. ^ "Hydra 1, ..., 18". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  2. ^ Kulu, Erik. "AISTECHSAT (HYDRA) 6U". Nanosats Database. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  3. ^ Kulu, Erik. "Hydra 2". Nanosats Database. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  4. ^ "Fantastic 4th Cohort | Cassini Accelerator". www.cassini.eu. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  5. ^ "The biggest European spacetech deals in H1 2025". Tech.eu. 2025-11-27. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  6. ^ "constellr's SkyBee-1 satellite launched into orbit – Rapid Response Desk". www.rapidresponse.copernicus.eu. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  7. ^ “The Copernicus Contributing missions: present and future”
  8. ^ "Copernicus Contributing Mission - HYDRA Constellation". DCA. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  9. ^ AviacionDigit@l (2026-01-13). "Aistech Space lanza Hydra 2, su primera constelación comercial de imágenes térmicas". Aviación Digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  10. ^ "SpaceX avec le mission Twilight a placé 40 charges utiles en orbite dont Pandora de la NASA - 4ASpace" (in French). 2026-01-13. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  11. ^ InfoEspacial. "La española Aistech Space desvela las primeras imágenes de Hydra-2 desde su plataforma ALEX". Infoespacial (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  12. ^ InfoEspacial. "La española Aistech Space desvela las primeras imágenes de Hydra-2 desde su plataforma ALEX". Infoespacial (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  13. ^ "CAS500-2 Mission". SpaceX. Retrieved 2026-04-30.
  14. ^ www.matak.sk, Juraj Maták-. "Družice - Hydra 3". Kozmonautika. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  15. ^ Day, Eleanor (2026-05-03). "SpaceX launches CAS500-2 and 45 other payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  16. ^ InfoEspacial. "Aistech Space acelera el despliegue de su constelación Hydra tras el lanzamiento de Hydra-3". Infoespacial (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-06.
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