DEPLOYDatabase

Robot model

ION

spacecommercialby D-Orbit

Operational orbital transfer vehicle by D-Orbit, providing last-mile satellite delivery, orbit-raising, and end-of-life deorbiting services for commercial and…

Track ION
Manufacturer
D-Orbit
Form factor
space
Maturity
commercial
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
3
Website
d-orbit.com ↗

The verified answer

As of Oct 2026, DEPLOY verifies ION, a space by D-Orbit (commercial): 3 verified deployments on record. 5 sources back the record.

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Key facts

ION carrier (company-claimed)

An orbital transfer vehicle for last-mile delivery and precise slot deployment of small satellites, plus hosted-payload missions.

Space logistics services (company-claimed)

Last-mile satellite delivery, hosted payloads, mission control as a service and space-waste management.

First mission (company-claimed, Sep 2020)

Origin launched Sep 3 2020 on Vega VV16 and deployed 12 Planet SuperDove satellites.

Mission count (company-claimed, Oct 2026)

Three IONs flew on SpaceX Transporter-18 on Oct 1 2026, for 26 ION missions and about 260 payloads since 2020.

Data & sources

Web sources

5

5 sources backing this record.View all →

Pricing

No verified price is on record for ION. Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.

How DEPLOY tracks pricing

Deployments (3)

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ION on the deployment map

View the global map

Where ION is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.

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Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Full change history →

Safety record

No incidents on record for ION.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Sources (5)

  1. https://d-orbit.com/
  2. https://www.dorbit.space/
  3. https://www.dorbit.space/launch-and-deployment
  4. https://spacenews.com/d-orbit-launches-its-first-ion-satellite-carrier/ · 2020-09-08
  5. https://www.satnow.com/news/details/5978-d-orbit-launches-three-ion-missions-on-spacex-s-transporter-18 · 2026-10

Mentioned on (3)

Registry pages whose text names ION.

Common questions

What is ION?
Operational orbital transfer vehicle by D-Orbit, providing last-mile satellite delivery, orbit-raising, and end-of-life deorbiting services for commercial and government satellite operators
How much does ION cost?
ION's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for ION from D-Orbit. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
Is ION actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. ION is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
Who makes ION?
ION is made by D-Orbit, based in Fino Mornasco, Italy, founded in 2016.
Where is ION deployed?
3 verified deployments of ION are on the DEPLOY registry, including at Vandenberg SFB, California, USA, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA (multiple Transporter missions), Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA.
Can you buy ION?
ION is in commercial deployment and is sold to operators; contact the manufacturer to buy, and see the pricing section for any recorded price.
What are alternatives to ION?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable space robots to ION include Chang'e Lander, Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle, Mira, W-Series Capsule.
How does ION compare to Chang'e Lander?
ION and Chang'e Lander (China National Space Administration · 4 deployments) are both space robots on the DEPLOY registry. ION has 3 verified deployments on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is ION a top space?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, ION ranks in roughly the top 17% of space models tracked by the registry.
What is ION's maturity stage?
ION is at the commercial stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Commercial stage means production-grade deployments are operating at named customer sites.
Is ION safe?
ION has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 5 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-10-12

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-10-12

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: commercial

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: space

Sources by quality tier

5
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for ION.

Recent coverage

ION in third-party press

NaviGate successfully demonstrates onboard precise orbit determination aboard D-Orbit’s ION Satellite Carrier

Sep 30, 2026