The Balkan Constellation is a satellite constellation of multispectral Earth observation satellites developed by the Bulgarian company EnduroSat[1][2][3][4] with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA).[5][6] The constellation focuses on orbital monitoring of the environment, land use, agriculture, forests, coasts, and infrastructure across the Balkans and the EU.[7][8] In 2023, the Balkan Constellation was selected as one of the Copernicus Contributing Missions (CCMs) providing data to the EU's Copernicus Programme.[9][10] The first satellite of the constellation, Balkan-1, was launched in January 2025.[11][1][5][12][13][14]
| Manufacturer | EnduroSat |
|---|---|
| Country of origin |  Bulgaria European Union European Space Agency |
| Website | www |
| Production | |
| Planned | 120 |
| Launched | 2 |
| Maiden launch | 14 January 2025 |
| Related spacecraft | |
| Launch vehicle | Falcon 9 |
| Name | COSPAR ID | Satellite bus | Launch date | Launch vehicle | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balkan-1 | 2025-009C | 16U CubeSat | 14 January 2025 | Falcon 9 | Transporter-12 |
| Balkan-2 | 2026-100H | 6U CubeSat | 3 May 2026 | Falcon 9 | CAS500-2 rideshare mission |
References
edit- 1 2 Kulu, Erik. "Balkan-1". Nanosats Database. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ "The BALKAN Constellation - Copernicus contribution mission with regional impact". International Astronautical Federation. 2023.
- ↑ "Сателитът Balkan 1 на българската EnduroSat отива в Космоса". Бизнес новините (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ Galoforo, Germana (2026-02-13). "Piccole costellazioni crescono". Global Science (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- 1 2 "Balkan-1 to bring AI-powered technologies to Copernicus – Rapid Response Desk". www.rapidresponse.copernicus.eu. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ "Implementation - Edge SpAIce". 2024-02-28. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ "CIRA Space Qualification Center Strengthens Its Decade-Long Collaboration with EnduroSat". www.cira.it. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ "The first of 120: What the Bulgarian Balkan-1 nanosatellite looks like and what it can do". H512.com. 2025-01-15. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ "EU, ESA pick Bulgaria-founded Endurosat's Balkan Constellation". SeeNews. 23 June 2023.
- ↑ Faleti, Joshua (2023-06-20). "EnduroSat Joins EU and ESA's Copernicus Contributing Missions". SpaceWatch.GLOBAL. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ Ford, Dominic. "Spacecraft information: BALKAN-1". In-The-Sky.org. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- 1 2 "Balkan 1". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ Еconomic.bg (2025-01-15). "Balkan-1 пише история: Първият от 120-те български спътници е вече в Космоса". Еconomic.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ "EnduroSat Nanosatellite Launched on Balkan-1 Mission". www.bta.bg. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
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