South Korea's IBS will launch a series of CubeSats from 2026 to study Venus from low Earth orbit, with NanoAvionics building the first 8U satellite for the long-term mission.

South Korea’s IBS has selected Kongsberg NanoAvionics, a leading provider of small satellite buses and mission integration services, to build the inaugural CubeSat for the world’s first extended planetary science initiative. This project will deploy multiple CubeSats to observe Venus from low Earth orbit.

Since 2022, the IBS Planetary Atmospheres Group has been doing research on the CLOVE project, a long-term Venus observing program. Set to launch in 2026, CLOVESat-1 will be an 8U CubeSat developed by NanoAvionics. Over 15 years, IBS intends to launch a new satellite every three years to cover a whole 11-year solar cycle.

In addition, NanoAvionics will oversee LEOP, perform environmental testing, coordinate launch services, and integrate the scientific payload supplied by IBS as part of the contract. CLOVESat-1 will study the atmospheric temporal variability of cloud top altitude, cloud vertical structure, gas sulfur dioxide abundance, and an unidentified absorber or absorbers on Venus.

Together with ground-based observatories, NanoAvionics' first CubeSat will contain equipment spanning ultraviolet to near-infrared at four specific wavelengths and eight channels, including polarization filters. Over 15 years, the satellite's high-resolution temporal data will give academics important insight into Venus's climatic evolution and assist them in tracking elusive atmospheric changes.

Scientists may use these hints to gain a better understanding of solar-atmosphere interactions, volcanic activity, and changes in the planetary climate, including how a planet that resembled Earth became an inhospitable environment for life.