ESA Orders 6 Additional Radar-Based Satellites
IRIDE Earth Observation Constellation Contract Awarded to Thales Alenia Space
The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a contract valued at €107 million (≈$115 million) to Thales Alenia Space for the supply of 6 additional radar-based satellites dedicated to the Italian Earth observation constellation, IRIDE.
"The radar technology on board this program will be a crucial pillar of our ALL-IN-ONE Earth observation solution."
Giampiero Di Paolo, Thales Alenia Space
This second batch of satellites, as the previous batch of six, will rely on the innovative and scalable NIMBUS (New Italian Micro Bus) platform. Built by Thales Alenia Space, the high-performance NIMBUS will be produced rapidly and is designed for high-revisit and high-capacity constellations in addition to very high throughput.
For the Italian Earth Observation Constellation IRIDE, Thales Alenia Space will build a total of 13 satellites: 12 small-sized satellites based on SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) technology and 1 satellite based on optical technology.
“Leveraging our experience onboard major Earth observation programs, we are ready to reinforce our capabilities in the small satellite segment. Based on a series of sensing instruments and technologies, the IRIDE constellation will range from microwave imaging with radar sensors to optical imaging at various spatial resolutions and in different frequency ranges, making it a cutting-edge space program in Earth Observation," said Giampiero Di Paolo, SVP Observation, Exploration and Navigation for Thales Alenia Space. "The radar technology on board this program will be a crucial pillar of our ALL-IN-ONE Earth observation solution, which effectively combines optical and radar small satellites to ensure high revisit frequency and control for near real-time monitoring."
IRIDE is one of the most important European space programs in the field of Earth Observation. It is a government project funded as part of Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), complemented by funding from the National Integration Plan (PNC). IRIDE is a constellation of satellites, operational by 2026, managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in conjunction with the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
IRIDE features a hybrid constellation of different satellites with dedicated Earth observation sensors; this end-to-end system comprises a series of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite sub-constellations, ground infrastructures (downstream) and services dedicated to the Italian Public Administration.