The Sentinel 1B radar antenna. Photo: Airbus Defence and Space

[Via Satellite 12-15-2015] Thales Alenia Space has signed a 143 million euro ($156.5 million) contract with Airbus Defence and Space to provide two additional radar instruments for Sentinel satellites 1C and 1D. The two satellites will carry the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Antenna Subsystem (SAS), which will be almost identical to those on the current Sentinel 1 satellites. Airbus Defence and Space teams are designing and constructing the antennas, with Thales Alenia Space supplying the Transmission/Reception (T/R) modules and the front-end electronics.

The Copernicus program, a joint initiative between the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA), is comprised of both radar and optical components, as well as ground-based information. The purpose of Copernicus is to implement information services dealing with environment and security.

Since Nov. 30, nearly 15,000 users have registered on the “Sentinel Scientific Hub” and completed more than 2.6 million downloads of data. Approximately 333,000 Sentinel 1A data products are available online. The new spacecraft with their instruments will ensure continuity of radar data for Copernicus for the next 15 years.