GARAI A, SATLANTIS’ seventh mission and fourth Earth Observation satellite, was successfully launched on Tuesday January 14th, 2025. The satellite will serve as the precursor to the Atlantic Constellation, established through the Iberian Space Partnership between SATLANTIS, Geosat, and Ceiia.

Less than a year after the successful deployment of our third satellite, HORACIO, tha company launched the GARAI A satellite, a microsatellite equipped with a next-generation high-resolution optical system. Designed for advanced Earth observation applications, it integrates multispectral capabilities that combine visible, infrared, NIR, SWIR, and a new polarimetry channel, as well as video and high-agility features. 

GARAI A traveled aboard the SpaceX’s Transporter-12 mission on a Falcon 9 rocket, a shared flight that launched several satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit 500-550 km above Earth. The launch took place from the Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA, at 20:09 CET and the satellite was deployed through Exolaunch‘s flight proven EXOpod Nova, one hour later. 

This mission is the first of a new generation of satellites and the largest launched by the company to date, enabling a wide range of applications, including unique capabilities for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions like methane, anticipating natural disasters, and detecting their effects, such as fires. Following the success of URDANETA-ARMSAT1, GEISAT P., and HORACIO, GARAI A joins the family of the most advanced satellites worldwide, alongside more under construction by SATLANTIS. Named after Basque explorer Juan de Garai, who left a lasting mark in Argentina and the Southern Cone, GARAI A is a pioneering microsatellite equipped with four very high-resolution optical channels, mounted on two iSIM-90 and iSIM-170 models developed by SATLANTIS.

GARAI defines a new category of next-generation microsatellites from SATLANTIS, surpassing the previous single-purpose generation, offering a swift response to the evolving Earth observation market, combining submeter resolution with native multispectral imaging, video, SWIR infrared imaging, and polarimetry. With a nominal lifespan of around five years, the satellites will provide global coverage with high-resolution multispectral images across PAN (panchromatic), VIS polarimetry, five VNIR (visible and near-infrared) bands, and five SWIR (shortwave infrared) bands. 

• Key Capabilities: Each satellite is equipped with dual-channel instruments offering multispectral, shortwave infrared, polarimetry, and video capabilities: the ISIM-90 and ISIM-170 payloads developed by SATLANTIS. 
• Innovations: The new generation of GARAI adds a polarimetry channel to distinguish beyond camouflage and aerosols. 

With these innovative capabilities, GARAI A is poised to lead a new category of Earth observation technologies on an international scale. The satellite is mounted on the proven OHB Sweden‘s InnoSat microsatellite platform, identical to that used in the “Arctic Weather” mission, with advanced agility. “The satellite is the result of collaboration between Spain and Portugal to build and launch the precursor of the Atlantic Constellation, offering very high resolution and frequent revisit capabilities,” says Francisco Vilhena da Cunha, CEO of GEOSAT. This marks a significant step in the implementation of the agreements between Portugal and Spain, as reaffirmed at the XXXV Luso-Spanish Summit. 

“We are experiencing a time of great disruption in the space market, both in Europe and internationally,” says Juan Tomás Hernani, CEO of SATLANTIS, “While the near-disappearance of large satellites has caused significant crises in the U.S. and European industries, the emergence of not-so-small satellites with high simultaneous observation capabilities is taking over the market. GARAI is our response to this opportunity.” 

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