DAVID The First 6U Cubesat Mission of the Italian Space Agency Programme Iperdrone as Demonstration of New On Orbit Services Performed by Space Drones

The Italian Space Agency is promoting a roadmap for the design, manufacturing and operation of a new space reentry drone. The Iperdrone program will qualify a new type of operative mission, through an incremental phased approach. The program includes, as first step, the demonstration of inspection services for the International Space Station, optimizing the EVA activities and increasing the in space experimentation opportunities. The paper will present the status of development of the first mission, which will demonstrate the system\u27s capabilities such as proximity operations, inspection and interaction with a target, including a close rendez-vous demonstration. The first mission, DAVID to be launched within 2023, is based on a 6U cubesat architecture