ESA awards contract for next-generation radar imaging satellites

spacenews.com Jun 11, 2026

ESA awards contract for next-generation radar imaging satellites

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Jun 11, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded contracts to Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence and Space to build the next generation of radar imaging satellites, known as Sentinel-1 Next Generation (NG). The two companies will develop two new satellites, with Thales responsible for the spacecraft and Airbus providing the radar payloads. The new satellites will offer improved geometric resolution and swath width, enabling more accurate Earth science applications. The Sentinel-1 NG spacecraft are expected to launch in the early 2030s.

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