Thales Space Selected For Sentinel Sat

Worth 305 million euro is the new contract just signed by Thales Alenia Space with the European Space Agency (ESA) to supply the Sentinel-3 Earth observation satellite for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) program. This contract covers the first satellite in the Sentinel-3 mission, dedicated to oceanography and monitoring of land vegetation. Scheduled for launch in 2012, the Sentinel-3 satellite is an integral part of the GMES program and is led by the European Commission and co-funded by ESA. GMES is a European solution addressing today’s growing requirements for environmental management. It will play a pivotal role in developing a global environmental policy. Sentinel-3 will ensure the operational continuity of data provided by instruments on the Envisat satellite, while also improving instrument performance and availability. As prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space is leading a consortium of European companies including major partners in France, Italy, Germany and Spain. In addition, Thales Alenia Space is responsible for the development of the platform and two major instruments, namely the Ocean and Land Color Instrument and the SAR Radar Altimeter. The satellite will weigh about 1,200 kg at launch and is compatible with Europe’s new light launcher, Vega, designed to transport satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The Vega possesses a new first stage recently developed, versions of the Italian Zefiro engine empower the second and third stages, and stage 4 offers a liquid fuel propulsion engine powered by a Russian RD-869 engine.