STRIVING

STRIVING (Space Telecommunications Rapid IOD/IOV INteGrated service) was established in 2017 through a Public-Private Partnership contract between SITAEL S.p.A. and ESA under the ARTES PIONEER Initiative, with endorsement from the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The service was created to overcome the 'Valley of Death' in space technology development — the gap between ground-based validation and full commercial deployment — by offering a structured, affordable pathway to orbit.

As a Space Mission Provider, STRIVING acts as a single interface for customers delivering end-to-end mission services: satellite platform provision (CubeSats 1–50 kg, MicroSats 50–75 kg, MiniSats 100–200 kg), test campaign design, environmental and functional testing, ground segment operations with distributed stations in VHF/UHF/C/S/X bands, and full launch integration. The industrial team is led by SITAEL and includes IMT, Planetek Italia, and Tyvak International.

The STRIVING maiden mission flew on the SITAEL S-75 MicroSatellite platform aboard the inaugural Vega SSMS proof-of-concept flight from Kourou in 2019, hosting multiple European payloads for simultaneous In-Orbit Validation at 500 km sun-synchronous orbit. The service is co-funded by ESA with up to €4.25 million covering up to 50% of project costs.