Three new contracts for European Earth observation satellites - France 24

Paris (AFP)

The European Space Agency (ESA) on Friday concluded three satellite contracts for the expansion of its Copernicus Earth observation program with Airbus Defense and Space for the LSTM mission, and Thales Alenia Space (TAS) for the CIMR missions and CHIME, for a total amount of over € 1.3 billion.

All three missions are part of the Copernicus program, in which seven Sentinel satellites are already in orbit and provide data used both to monitor climate and pollution and to assess damage from natural disasters.

LSTM, CIMR and CHIME, whose satellites are due for delivery in 2028, "are expansion missions" of this program, said Toni Tolker-Nielsen, head of ESA's industrial projects department, in a press briefing announcing signing of contracts.

Each of these missions includes a second satellite as a back-up.

Two other Sentinel missions, CO2M and Cristal, are already on track, and the sixth, ROSE-L, should be soon.

The whole represents a budget of 2.852 billion euros according to Mr. Tolker-Nielsen.

LSTM (Sentinel 8), with Airbus both prime contractor and responsible for infrared measuring instruments, is "specific for measuring the temperature of the entire earth's surface night and day", explained Philippe Pham, its director of Earth Observation.

The contract is for 389 million euros.

He was pleased that this contract was the first Copernicus mission entrusted to the Spanish subsidiary of Airbus.

TAS signed the contracts as prime contractor for the CHIME missions, for 455 million euros, and CIMR, for 495 million euros.

CHIME (Sentinel 10) will provide hyperspectral observations, useful for soil and vegetation monitoring.

The German OHB and the Italian Leonardo will be the main partners.

With useful data both for the development of "smart farming", with the analysis of soil and cover properties, as well as for the reasonable exploitation of minerals, by precisely measuring its environmental impacts.

The CIMR mission (Sentinel 11) "will be mainly dedicated to the surveillance of the Arctic and Antarctic areas, to monitor the water temperature, the amount of ice at its various stages", said Yvan Baillion, director of offers and future affairs of TAS, during the press briefing.

Data from Copernicus missions are available free of charge.

They should help define European policies for the management of natural resources, but also the development of service offers linked to food security, agriculture and raw materials.

© 2020 AFP