ESA awards contract to build Sentinel-1 Next Generation satellites
The European Space Agency has awarded the contract to lead the development and build for two Copernicus Sentinel-1 Next Generation satellites to Thales Alenia Space. Building on the success of the current Sentinel-1 mission, the next-generation satellites will ensure the long-term continuity of Europe's radar Earth observation capabilities while delivering enhanced performance.
Under the contract, signed today at the ILA Berlin Airshow, Thales Alenia Space in Italy, as prime contractor, will lead the development of the two identical satellites, with Airbus Defence and Space in Germany responsible for the satellites' core instruments: C-band synthetic aperture radars.
ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, said, "Today's contract award, covering the first tranche for the overall mission, marks a major milestone in the development of Sentinel-1 Next Generation.
"For more than 12 years, the first-generation Sentinel-1 mission has delivered vital radar data for Copernicus services, supporting applications ranging from disaster response and sea-ice monitoring to the detection of land deformation and deforestation. Its unique all-weather, day-and-night imaging capabilities have made it an indispensable tool for scientists, policymakers and emergency responders around the world.
"While current Sentinel-1 satellites continue to serve users in orbit, we are excited to see the next-generation mission take shape. We are pleased to entrust Thales Alenia Space with the responsibility of developing this important new capability, ensuring the continuity and enhancement of Europe's radar Earth observation services for years to come."
Thales Alenia Space CEO Hervé Derrey, noted, "I would like to thank our longstanding customer, the European Space Agency, for its continued trust. The Sentinel-1 Next Generation mission will serve as a new pillar for Copernicus, the most sophisticated environmental monitoring programme ever established."
Sentinel-1 Next Generation not only secures the future supply of high-quality radar imagery, but also introduces a substantial leap in performance. Like its predecessors, it will be equipped with synthetic aperture radar technology, but in an advanced configuration.
Compared to the first generation, the new satellites will deliver a significantly larger coverage and a fourfold improvement in geometric resolution, reaching 5 m × 5 m compared with 5 m × 20 m today.
Coverage will also be extended to the polar regions, enhancing monitoring capabilities in some of Earth's most sensitive and rapidly changing environments.
With these advancements, Sentinel-1 Next Generation will reinforce Europe's leadership in radar Earth observation, ensuring uninterrupted continuity of critical data for Copernicus services while unlocking new levels of detail, coverage and responsiveness.
Together, these improvements will further strengthen global capacity to monitor environmental change, support disaster response and inform evidence-based decision-making and action for decades to come.
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