ALTIUS

ALTIUS is a satellite mission proposed by the Belgian Institute for [Space Aeronomy] and currently under development by the European Space Agency (ESA). Its main objective is to monitor the distribution and evolution of stratospheric ozone in the Earth's atmosphere.

Background

The industrial consortium is led by QinetiQ Space, acting as mission prime. The satellite design is based on the PROBA small satellite bus. The payload, developed by OIP Sensor Systems, is an innovative UV, visible, and NIR instrument.

The mission is scheduled for launch in 2027 from the Guiana Space Centre on Vega-C.

In January 2020, ESA has awarded a contract, worth €75 million, to QinetiQ Space to build the satellite.
In January 2022, ESA signed a contract with Arianespace for the joint launch of ALTIUS and FLEX on Vega-C.
In July 2025, Redwire has completed the assembly of ALTIUS' satellite platform at their facilities in Belgium.