The launch date for ATHENE 1 has now been officially announced. The satellite is scheduled to lift off on October 1, 2026, at 11:18 a.m. PT (20:18 CEST) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
ATHENE 1 will travel into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter-18 mission. The launch marks a major milestone for SeRANIS following six years of research, development, integration and extensive testing.
As the central mission of the SeRANIS research program, ATHENE 1 will carry 15 scientific experiments into Low Earth Orbit. These experiments cover a wide range of research areas, including satellite communications, navigation, sensing, artificial intelligence, new materials and propulsion technologies.
The launch will mark the transition from development and testing on Earth to a new scientific phase in orbit. Once ATHENE 1 reaches space, the team will begin commissioning the satellite and preparing its experiments for operation under real orbital conditions.
The current launch schedule and mission webcast will be available on the official SpaceX mission page: https://www.spacex.com/launches/transporter18