The launch of the European Sentinel-1C satellite, carried out from the Kourou launch platform in French Guiana, represents a further step forward in the Copernicus programme, a collaboration between the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA), actively supported by Italian Space Agency (ASI).
Sentinel-1C is the third satellite in its series intended for monitoring the Earth. Made mainly in the Thales Alenia Space factories in Rome, the satellite is based on the PRISMA platform, developed for ASI. Thanks to its advanced radar technologies, it is capable of acquiring high-quality images of the Earth’s surface regardless of weather conditionsthus offering valuable data for a wide range of scientific and operational applications.
The Sentinel-1C mission investigates several fundamental aspects for environmental protection and natural resource management. Among these, monitoring ice sheets and Arctic environments, landslide detection, mapping forests and water resources, and soil monitoring. Furthermore, the satellite plays a fundamental role in the detection and management of emergencies related to natural disasters, providing essential data for relief and reconstruction operations.
The successful launch of Sentinel-1C was made possible thanks to the European Vega-C carrier, developed by Avio and created with a significant Italian contribution. Italy’s commitment to the project was underlined by Teodoro Valente, president of ASI, who celebrated the launch as an example of Italian technological primacy in the aerospace sector.
“An important day for Italy and Europe. VEGA-C is back! “, comments the president of the Italian Space Agency, Teodoro Valente. “With the success of today’s launch, a lot of Italian technology is in orbit. In addition to the launcher, the Sentinel – 1C satellite of the Copernicus program, an important European network for Earth observation. A step forward for the recovery of a European capacity for autonomous access to space, which adds to the “christening flight” last July of Ariane6, the “heavy” launcher. We are still very far from the capabilities of other non-European actors: today encourages us to move as quickly as possible, to recover at least part of the gap that until a few months ago seemed completely unbridgeable and thus guarantee an “in house” solution ” at least for strategic assets. It is necessary to start – recalls Valente – from the awareness that the dynamics have changed: effectiveness, efficiency, rapid response times, cost containment and timely use of resources are strategic aspects that cannot be ignored. This requires adequate, no longer outdated, organizational and operational models. We need facts rather than purely speculative discussions that originate from outdated approaches, not suited to current times and future prospects. Congratulations to all the actors involved, to the specifically established ESA Task Force, to Avio and Thales Alenia Space Italia and to the entire ASI team who gave their fundamental contribution to achieving the objective achieved today. Italy is back in orbit!!”