Led by French satellite operator Kinéis, the project will study and prepare an in-orbit validation mission for maritime surveillance using VDES and aeronautical surveillance using satellite-based ADS-B. ALCYON forms part of the Low-LEO activities of the European IRIS² programme, which is developing Europe’s future secure and resilient satellite connectivity infrastructure. 

ALCYON is designed as an In-Orbit Validation (IOV) mission, with the objective of testing two services under real operating conditions. On the maritime side, the project will demonstrate the use of VDES for satellite-based vessel tracking and identification. Unlike traditional AIS, VDES enables two-way digital data exchange with vessels, providing additional capabilities for maritime communications and digital services. On the aeronautical side, the demonstrator will use satellite reception of ADS-B to support aircraft tracking over areas where terrestrial infrastructure has limited or no coverage.