Conserving endangered species has always been a challenge. Now we’re literally going to monitor them from space

ICARUS, the animal-tracking program led by the Max Planck Institute, has resumed operations after the Ukraine war pause.

It launched its first dedicated satellite, RAVEN, a miniaturized CubeSat that replaces the previous dependency on a receiver aboard the ISS.

The new setup improves global coverage, autonomy, and energy efficiency for tracking wildlife from space.

The expanded monitoring could support conservation, climate research, and disease surveillance without relying on the ISS or limited ground infrastructure.