Kick-off for Icarus 2.0: New satellite for global animal observation is in space
Due to the war in Ukraine, an ambitious project for global animal observation was prematurely terminated. Now a successor is in space.
(Image: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior)
With a few days' delay, a small satellite was launched into Earth orbit on Friday, intended to open "a new chapter in the study of animal migration." This was announced by the Max Planck Society, which is responsible for the resurrection of the project named Icarus together with the space company Talos. The satellite collects data from miniature sensors attached to animals worldwide to study their movements. It is soon to be joined by a second satellite – and four more by mid-2027 – which are intended to enable continuous coverage with unprecedented accuracy. The expanded project is running under the designation Icarus 2.0.
Originally, Icarus was a German-Russian program, and after a long lead time, the specially built antenna on the International Space Station ISS went into operation in mid-2019. However, the beginning of the large-scale Russian war of aggression against Ukraine abruptly ended it in early 2022, and the research project had been quiet since then. The responsible parties in Germany have completely revised and, above all, miniaturized the satellite technology during this time. It now fits into a CubeSat with a side length of ten centimeters and consumes only a tenth of the energy, the research institution writes. At the same time, it can read four times as many sensors as the ISS antenna.
Videos by heise
The small satellite was launched on Friday with a rocket from the US space company SpaceX. It will now undergo a three-month test phase, after which it is scheduled to begin receiving data from the animal sensors and transmitting it to the ground station. A new feature is that these sensors can now be reprogrammed remotely, meaning they no longer need to be removed from the animal. The second satellite is scheduled to launch in the spring, also on board a SpaceX rocket. Those responsible consider Icarus an indispensable tool that is expected to provide valuable services, among other things, in predicting animal diseases and researching endangered species.
(mho)
