Sentinel-1D launches into space with Swiss components

Sentinel-1D was launched from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana aboard an Ariane 6 launcher on 4 November. According to a press release from the European Space Agency (ESA) based in Paris, the Earth observation satellite was placed in its orbit 34 minutes after launch.

Sentinel-1D is the fourth satellite of the Sentinel-1 mission and joins its twin, Sentinel-1C. Together, they will capture high-resolution imagery of the Earth’s surface with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) whenever needed, in all weathers, day and night. These are available to disaster response teams, environmental agencies, maritime authorities and climate scientists. Sentinel-1D replaces its predecessor Sentinel-1A, which has been flying around the Earth since 2014.

“The continuity of service this provides for the EU Space Programme is vital for addressing the global challenges we face,” said Simonetta Cheli, Director of ESA’s Earth Observation Programmes.

The Sentinel-1 mission was designed and built by a consortium of more than 70 companies. The consortium was led by Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence and Space.

The consortium also includes Swiss companies. For example, Beyond Gravity in Zurich provided the support structures for the twelve-metre-long radar instrument. At the Emmen site in the canton of Lucerne, Beyond Gravity manufactured the payload fairing of Ariane 6. “We’re proud that the newest Sentinel satellite, like its predecessors and successors, depends on our mission-critical components,” Oliver Grassmann, Executive Vice President Satellites at Beyond Gravity, is quoted as saying in a company press release. APCO Technologies in Aigle in the canton of Vaud has also supplied components for Sentinel-1.