The Walt Disney Company Italia and D-Orbit have partnered to promote Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, the new film in the Star Wars saga set to hit Italian cinemas on May 20, 2026. For the first time ever, a promotional campaign for a cinematic franchise has been filmed directly in orbit, at an altitude of over 500 km.
The project sent a replica of the iconic Mandalorian helmet into space aboard Wayfinder, D-Orbit’s 22nd commercial ION mission. The satellite was launched on March 30, 2026, from Vandenberg Base in California, carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-16 rideshare mission.
Filming was conducted using cameras developed in-house by D-Orbit for its orbital vehicles. The footage showcases the helmet with Earth in the background, utilizing the actual space environment as the set for the promotional campaign.
An Unusual Payload Launched into Space
The replica helmet was created from a 3D scan of the original prop provided by Disney. The model was machined from a block of 6000 series aluminum and integrated with specialized electronic and optical components. Prior to launch, the payload underwent the same qualification campaign required for commercial space instruments, including vibration tests, vacuum chamber trials, and functional verification.
According to Matteo Andreas Lorenzoni, Director of D-Orbit’s Orbital Access Business Unit, the project demanded intensive technical work to achieve usable imagery under real operating conditions. The acquisition phase began after the payload’s commissioning, during which the helmet’s correct positioning and the quality of the shots were verified.
The campaign was integrated into an already planned commercial mission, without requiring a dedicated launch. The helmet will not be permanently left in space; at the end of the mission, the ION vehicle will perform a controlled deorbit maneuver, in line with D-Orbit’s decommissioning procedures.
The Italian company employs an operational model based on the shared transport of multiple payloads on a single flight, a solution that reduces costs and environmental impact on orbit. Each ION mission is designed to comply with international regulations for space debris mitigation.
Even the mission name includes references to the Star Wars universe. “Wayfinder” echoes the phrase “This is the Way,” associated with Mandalorian culture in the television series. Furthermore, the official mission patch subtly conceals the stylized silhouette of a Mandalorian helmet, visible when the logo design is rotated.
