Redwire Corporation has announced the successful completion of payload integration for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Σyndeo-3 satellite mission, a significant step toward its scheduled launch in late 2026. The integration work was performed at Redwire’s advanced facility in Kruibeke, Belgium.
Serving as the mission’s prime contractor, Redwire integrated ten distinct technology demonstration payloads aboard the spacecraft. These payloads, funded by the European Commission, were developed by a consortium of government and commercial partners from across Europe, including Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and Luxembourg. The mission falls under the European Union’s In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation (IOD/IOV) Program, which is designed to accelerate the deployment of new space technologies and strengthen the continent’s space sector.
The suite of payloads onboard Σyndeo-3 will support several critical in-space applications, focusing on areas such as monitoring space debris, demonstrating technologies for the safe deorbiting of satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO), and testing advanced spacecraft thermal control systems.
“Completing payload integration is a critical achievement on Σyndeo-3’s path to launch,” said Marc Dielissen, General Manager of Redwire Belgium. “It is a testament to the precision and innovation that define our team’s track record in building satellites for groundbreaking multinational missions.”
The satellite is built upon Redwire’s proven Hammerhead LEO spacecraft platform, which has a heritage of 50 years in orbit without failure. It also features the company’s latest third-generation Advanced Data and Power Management System (ADPMS-3) avionics.
With integration complete, the Σyndeo-3 spacecraft will now enter a rigorous phase of system-level testing to verify its readiness for the stresses of launch and the space environment. The mission is slated to launch from Andøya Space in Norway in the fourth quarter of 2026, riding aboard Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum launch vehicle.
Redwire’s Belgian operation brings over half a century of spacecraft development heritage to the mission, having previously developed and integrated platforms for ESA’s entire Proba family of missions (Proba-1, -2, -V, and -3) and more recently for the ALTIUS atmospheric monitoring mission.
