The first of four satellites for Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed constellation was delivered in a June 8 launch aboard a Boeing Delta 2 booster from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Thales Alenia Space and Boeing announced.

The dual-use, Earth observation satellite was developed through an agreement between the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the Italian Ministry of Defense, and built by Thales Alenia Space with Telespazio responsible for civilian and military Earth segments.

“The launch has been a success, COSMO-SkyMed is the largest space program in which Italy has ever participated, and the result is an important national and international collaboration,” said Giovanni Fabrizio Bignami, ASI chairman. “It is another new achievement for Italy that will enable natural disasters to be prevented and which will save people.”

The constellation includes four radar satellites with the ability to observe the globe anytime and under any weather condition. It affords dual-use (civilian, institutional, military and commercial) Earth observation for monitoring the entire globe for civil, strategic, scientific and commercial uses.

The overall investment is approximately 1 billion euros ($1.35 billion); the remaining three satellites are planned to be launched before the end of 2009.