AAC Clyde Space won a GBP 4.3 million (approx. SEK 56.2 Million) order for 11 satellite kits from Portuguese company LusoSpace to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2024. The EPIC 8U variant will be co-designed by AAC Clyde Space and LusoSpace, and built in Portugal.

LusoSpace intends to combine the EPIC 8U satellites into a VDES communication constellation, to be launched late 2025. The order follows an initial order for a 3U satellite received earlier in Q4, 2023. The satellites will be equipped with a VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) payload.

VDES was developed to meet the increasing need for data communication between maritime users, providing faster data transfer rates with greater integrity than current VHF data link systems. The Project is funded by the Portuguese Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência (PRR). The fund's objective is to catalyse national capacity in space which is also commercially viable. LusoSpace will develop and deploy 12 nanosatellite spacecraft carrying VDES payloads.