OHB ITALIA SIGNS ESA CONTRACT FOR POSEIDON AS PRIME CONTRACTOR: A PROJECT SUPPORTING MARITIME SAFETY AND SURVEILLANCE WITHIN IRIS² LOW-LEO ACTIVITIES
OHB Italia will lead a consortium bringing together some of the most prominent players in the Italian and European space sector
Madrid, September 17, 2026 – OHB Italia today signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the consolidation phase of Poseidon, a project dedicated to the development of innovative satellite services for maritime surveillance, safety and resilience.
The contract was signed by Roberto Aceti, CEO of OHB Italia, during a ceremony held at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid.
As Prime Contractor, OHB Italia will lead an European industrial consortium comprising Alén Space, DWave, e-GEOS, GMV, Leonardo, MBI, SkyLabs and Thales Alenia Space Italia.
The team brings together complementary expertise in satellite systems, Earth Observation, telecommunications, data processing and security-related services.
Poseidon was selected by ESA within the Consolidation Phase of IRIS² Low-LEO Pre-operational and De-risking Activities, part of the Agency’s Programme Related to EU Secure Connectivity, an initiative involving several European consortia in the development of new mission concepts and services of interest to the European IRIS² programme.
The project targets service-oriented solutions dedicated to the maritime domain, integrating:
- VDES: AIS vessels tracking system, maritime safety and two-way narrowband communications;
- Visible and Thermal Observation;
- Radio-frequency awareness.
Poseidon is designed to use IRIS² secure connectivity as a Space Data Relay Service. This architecture will reduce data delivery times and enable satellites to receive new tasking instructions more rapidly, supporting near-real-time awareness even in remote maritime regions, including polar areas.
The proposed “used cases” include dark vessels; Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities; maritime border surveillance and anomaly detection; Search and Rescue operations; environmental monitoring and the protection of critical offshore infrastructures.
“The future of secure connectivity will not be defined by a single technology or a single orbit. It will come from combining complementary capabilities and having the flexibility to adapt as Europe’s needs evolve. Through its Low-LEO activities, ESA looks forward to working hand-in-hand with the European Commission and European industry to explore what comes next for IRIS²; to shape the capabilities that will support Europe’s future connectivity needs” said Laurent Jaffart, Director of ESA’s Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity.
“With Poseidon, OHB Italia is placing its expertise in the design and management of complex space systems at the service of a European strategic priority: improving our knowledge of what is happening across Europe’s maritime domain and enabling a rapid operational response,” commented Roberto Aceti, CEO of OHB Italia. “The combination of observation, detection and secure satellite connectivity could provide European authorities with an independent, resilient and scalable capability. The strength of the project also lies in its consortium, which brings together leading industrial and technological expertise from across Italy and Europe.”
