Family-level launch record combining canonical variants, historical missions, public cadence forecasts, and available payload performance specs.
Historical missions are grouped by actual launch year. Forecast cadence uses family-level launch-rate rows.
| Year | Historical missions | Forecast launches |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | 3 | 0 |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 |
Payload capacity by variant and target orbit when structured capacity rows are available.
| Variant | Orbit | Capacity | Altitude | Inclination | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No performance specsNo structured payload capacity rows are linked to this vehicle family. | |||||
Latest launched missions using variants in this family.
| Mission | Variant | Launch |
|---|---|---|
| Kodiak Star | Athena-1 | Sep 30, 2001 |
| Ikonos-2 | Athena-2 | Sep 24, 1999 |
| Launch 1999-F01 | Athena-2 | Apr 27, 1999 |
| ROCSAT |
Canonical variants rolled up into this launch vehicle family.
| Variant | Stages | Missions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Athena-1 | Not stated | 2 | Retired |
Athena-2 | Not stated | 3 | Retired |
LMLV-1 | Not stated | 1 | Retired |
Athena-1 |
| Jan 27, 1999 |
| Lunar Prospector Mission | Athena-2 | Jan 7, 1998 |
| Lewis Mission | LMLV-1 | Aug 23, 1997 |
Upcoming mission rows with announced launch timing.
| Mission | Variant | Announced |
|---|---|---|
No forecasted missionsNo upcoming announced mission rows are linked to this vehicle family. | ||
ATHENA is one of three systems currently being developed by ESA to harness electrospray propulsion for space.
ATHENA relies on conductive ionic-liquid salts as a fuel that flows through nano-textured conical emitters.
The thrusters of the ATHENA system can be clustered together, with a total of six fitting onto the 10 cm face of a single CubeSat unit.
The micro-fabricated ATHENA system allows for highly customizable thrust using non-toxic 'green' propellants without the need for pressurized tanks.
The electrospray propulsion system is known as ATHENA (Adaptable THruster based on Electrospray powered by Nanotechnology).
The GSTP activity aims to develop a European alternative filter technology, raise its technology readiness level, and enable selection of these filters for the Athena mission when choices are made in 2027.
The Advanced Telescope for High-Energy Astrophysics (Athena) mission requires large optical filters and until recently Europe did not produce the high-performing filters needed.
Full-size test carbon nanotube filters were built to fit target Athena filter shapes including the Wide-field Imager optical blocking filter with area up to 160 x 160 mm2.
An AGSTP activity led by AMETEK in Finland built high-performance optical filters representative of those planned for ESA’s Athena mission.
Full-size test carbon nanotube filters were built to fit various target filter shapes for Athena, including an optical blocking filter for the WFI with area up to 160 x 160 mm2.
The AGSTP activity aims to develop a European alternative for Athena optical filters and raise their technology readiness level for potential selection by the mission in 2027.
In September 2018, French Defense Minister Florence Parly accused Russia of performing an act of espionage by flying Luch close to the French-Italian military satellite Athena-Fidus.
Sierra Nevada Corporation was awarded a multi-year, $554-million contract to deliver aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance jets in support of the U.S. Army’s Theater Level High-Altitude Expeditionary Next Aerial–Signals Intelligence (ATHENA-S) project.
The Leidos-L3Harris team will modify two Bombardier Global 6500 jets with radar, electronic, and communications intelligence capabilities tailored to ATHENA-S requirements.
Red Cat Holdings, Inc. has completed the second phase of its partnership with Athena AI.
Athena's battle-tracking capabilities, combined with the Teal 2 drone, provide warfighters with a tactical advantage.
The combination of Athena AI and Red Cat’s products improves Red Cat’s gross margins.
Athena, based in Australia, has licensed its proprietary computer-vision architecture to Red Cat, enabling high-speed tracking of objects and in-depth data exploitation at slower speeds.
Athena was first announced as a partner for Red Cat’s Teal 2 military-grade drone in March 2023.
Athena's technology has successfully performed target recognition and battle tracking using video processed from the Teal 2’s thermal-imaging sensor recorded during a nighttime test flight.