Sentinel-A arrives at launch site in French Guiana

Sentinel-1A arrives at launch site in French Guiana

Sentinel-1A arrives at launch site in French Guiana

Mon, 24/02/2014

The first satellite in Europes Copernicus Earth observation program was built by Thales Alenia Space

Cannes February 24, 2014 - Sentinel-1A, the European Space Agency (ESA) satellite designed and built by Thales Alenia Space, arrived this morning at the Guiana Space Center, the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.

Sentinel-1A is the first satellite in Europes vast Copernicus Earth Observation program (previously known as GMES), program of ESA in partnership with European Commission. The program's goal is to ensure European independence in the acquisition and management of environmental data concerning our planet, to support European authorities and policy-makers. It is part of the Sentinel-1 mission, along with the Sentinel-1B satellite, to be launched subsequently.

Thales Alenia Space is prime contractor for the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-3 missions, responsible for the design, development, integration and testing of the satellites comprising these systems.

The Sentinel-1A satellite, scheduled for launch in early April (first Soyuz launch of 2014), was integrated at Thales Alenia Space's plant in Rome. It was shipped to the launch site after passing final tests in the clean rooms at the Cannes plant.

The basic technologies, like the T/R modules and the Front End Electronics for the antenna of the C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar, as well as the advanced data management and transmission subsystems and the on-board computer, were designed and developed entirely by Thales Alenia Space Italia. The T/R modules and the Front End Electronics are the heart of the C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar antenna developed by AIRBUS Defence & Space on Thales Alenia Space Italia specifications.

The satellites sister, Sentinel-1B, is currently being integrated at Thales Alenia Space's Integration Center in Rome, and is scheduled for delivery to ESA during the last quarter of 2015.

Italy plays a key role in the Copernicus program, backed by the Italian space agency (ASI), which has supported the countrys broad commitment to spaceborne Earth observation programs.

The Sentinel-1A satellites uses the Prima platform, developed by Thales Alenia Space on behalf of the Italian space agency. It will weigh about 2,300 kg at launch, and will be placed in low Earth orbit at an altitude of 700 km. Resolution varies between 5 and 25 meters, depending on the operating mode. Data from Sentinel-1 will be collected by various European receiving centers and in Italy by the ground station at the space center in Matera, which is operated by e-GEOS, a joint venture of the Italian space agency (20%) and Telespazio (80%).

The Sentinel programs being developed by ESA within the scope of Copernicus include five families of satellites: Sentinel-1 is designed to ensure the continuity of ERS and Envisat radar data. Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 are dedicated to Earth and ocean monitoring. Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5 are dedicated to meteorology and climatology, with a focus on studying the composition of the Earths atmosphere.

About Thales Alenia Space

The European leader in satellite systems and a major player in orbital infrastructures, Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%). Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio embody the two groups' Space Alliance . Thales Alenia Space sets the global standard in solutions for space telecommunications, radar and optical Earth observation, defense and security, navigation and science. With consolidated revenues of 2.1 billion euros in 2012, Thales Alenia Space has 7,500 employees in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium and United States. www.thalesaleniaspace.com

Thales Alenia Space Press Contacts:

Sandrine Bielecki

Tel: 33 (0)4 92 92 70 94

sandrine.bielecki@thalesaleniaspace.com

Tarik Lahlou

Tel: 33 (0)4 92 92 68 45

tarik.lahlou@thalesaleniaspace.com

Tiziana Ebano

Tel : 39 06 4151 2574

tiziana.ebano@thalesaleniaspace.com

LINK:	https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/space/press-release/sentinel-...
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