Thales Alenia Space Wins $439 Million Contract From ESA | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-12.02.24

Airborne-NextGen-12.03.24

Airborne-Unlimited-12.04.24

Airborne Holiday

Airborne Holiday

Mon, Dec 21, 2015

Thales Alenia Space Wins $439 Million Contract From ESA

Will Build Copernicus Sentinel-1C And D Satellites

Thales Alenia Space has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to build the Copernicus Sentinel-1C and 1D environmental monitoring satellites, as part of Europe's Copernicus program.

Thales Alenia Space Italy was once again named prime contractor for these new satellites, as for Sentinel-1A and 1B. It is responsible for the design, development and integration of Copernicus the Sentinel-1C and 1D satellites, which will feature a C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR), as well as advanced data management and transmission systems and onboard computer. Thales Alenia Space will supply the transmission/reception (T/R) modules and the front-end electronics, the heart of the C-band SAR antenna, which will be manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space to Thales Alenia Space's specifications.

The Copernicus Sentinel-1C and 1D satellites, to be launched as from 2021, are part of the vast Copernicus environmental monitoring and management program coordinated by the European Commission, with ESA in charge of the space segment. The Copernicus program is designed to guarantee European independence in the collection and management of data on our planet, and to support Europe's public environmental policies.

The Copernicus Sentinel-1C and D satellites will be built on the Prima platform developed by Thales Alenia Space on behalf of the Italian space agency. They will be positioned at an altitude of 700 kilometers, offering a ground resolution of 5 to 25 meters (approx 16 to 82 feet), depending on the operating mode selected.

"We are very proud to have won this major contract, since it confirms Thales Alenia Space Italy’s long-standing expertise in the construction of Earth observation satellites based on radar technology," said Donato Amoroso, Managing Director of Thales Alenia Space Italy and Deputy CEO of Thales Alenia Space. “Our selection also shows that we have the capabilities needed to meet this program's technological challenges, while contributing to Europe's environmental strategy now and in the future."

Italy plays a major role in the Copernicus program, largely through the Italian space agency ASI. The country's role reflects the excellent performance of the COSMO-SkyMed program, which demonstrated the Italian space agency’s vision and the Italian space industry's cutting-edge expertise. 

The main goals of the Sentinel-1 mission are: mapping of urban areas and environmental impacts, monitoring of risks caused by movements of the Earth’s surface, surveillance of the marine environment, maritime security, monitoring of sea ice, forests and climate change, fast response to emergency services.

(Image provided with Thales news release)

FMI: www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/space

Advertisement

More News

Read/Watch/Listen... ANN Does It All

There Are SO Many Ways To Get YOUR Aero-News! It’s been a while since we have reminded everyone about all the ways we offer your daily dose of aviation news on-the-go...so he>[...]

Airborne 12.02.24: Electra FG EIS, Prez Osprey Problems, Starship Wants 25

Also: EAA Ray Foundation, MagniX Records, Ruko U11MINI Drone, RCAF PC-21s Elektra Solar recently put the first aircraft from its Elektra Trainer Fixed-Gear (FG) family into service>[...]

Airborne 12.02.24: Electra FG EIS, Prez Osprey Problems, Starship Wants 25

Also: EAA Ray Foundation, MagniX Records, Ruko U11MINI Drone, RCAF PC-21s Elektra Solar recently put the first aircraft from its Elektra Trainer Fixed-Gear (FG) family into service>[...]

Aero-Biz Survival 101 (1120a): Expert Ideas To Help You Through Tough Times

Brand New! Avoid The Need For A Comeback... Get Your Marketing Right, Right Now! Some time ago, the Aero-News Network, responding to numerous requests, established a marketing and >[...]

We're Accepting Resumes -- AND Hiring! ANN Puts Out 'Help Wanted' Sign

BIG Upgrades In The Works --- ANN Is Seeking EXCEPTIONAL New Staffers The last few years have been about as challenging a time as we can recall... but we survive (yeah, we're kinda>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC