Space to Observe and Protect: Europe is launching its follow-on Copernicus Expansion environmental monitoring program and is developing two more satellites for Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed observation program
In the Earth observation field, Thales Alenia Space plays a major role on five of the six new Copernicus Expansion environmental missions in this ESA/European Commission program. The company is prime contractor for the three missions CHIME, CIMR and ROSE-L, and will supply the IRIS radar altimeter for the CRISTAL mission and the payload for the CO2M mission.
What’s more, the Space Alliance created by Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio has signed a contract with the Italian space agency and defense ministry to start the development of two additional satellites for the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) system, along with upgrades to the ground segment.
NorthStar has started development of its Skylark constellation, designed for space surveillance and the monitoring of space debris, for which Thales Alenia Space will build the first three satellites.