Twenty-four new eyes over Italy: Europe just finished a satellite constellation built for fires, coasts and air

Italy's watchtower is complete. The final eight Eaglet II satellites rode a SpaceX Transporter-18 rideshare into orbit on October 1, finishing the 24-satellite constellation and bringing Italy's ESA-developed IRIDE Earth-observation program to 39 satellites. The fleet carries multispectral sensors plus ship-tracking gear, and it will keep watch over ground movement, wildfires, coastlines, air quality, and critical infrastructure. First signals reached mission control in Rome within hours of launch. When the next fire starts or the next coastline shifts, Italy will see it first.