the 1st Radar Satellite of the COSMO-SkyMed 2nd Generation Constellation is Ready for Launch from Kourou

The first satellite COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG-1) is ready to be launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.  

COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation or CSG (COnstellation of Satellites for the Mediterranean basin Observation), is a dual use (civil and defence) constellation of two satellites  promoted by the Italian Space Agency and the Ministry of Defence dedicated to ensure the operational continuity of the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) observation services provided by the four satellites of the COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) first generation, operating in orbit since 2007 and 2010.
Built by Thales Alenia Space, Joint Venture between Thales( 67%) and Leonardo (33%), the satellite will be launched by a Soyuz rocket on December 17th at 09:54 local time. Twenty-six minutes after the launch, the first telemetry data sent by the satellite will be acquired by the Fucino space Centre of Telespazio,  Joint Venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%), from which the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) will be carried out.

Thales Alenia Space is responsible for the overall COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation program, including the design and development of the two CSG-1 satellites and the end-to-end system design, integration and commissioning. Thales Alenia Space is principal Contractor in the Industrial Consortium RTI (“Raggruppamento Temporaneo d’Impresa”) with Telespazio, which is responsible for designing and developing the CSG Ground Segment and providing the Integrated Logistics and Operations (ILS&OPS) services.

Leonardo contributes to the program by supplying the Attitude Sensors (A-STR) for the orientation of the satellite, solar panels (PVA), and sophisticated Units that process and distribute electric power throughout the satellite, maximizing its power efficiency.

This state-of-the-art satellite features the latest technologies and engineering solutions. The overall system, including the ground segment, will set the performance standard for space-based radar observation systems, in terms of precision, image quality and flexible user services.

The COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite will guarantee a quantum leap in terms of technology, performance and service life, consequently, strengthening Italian leadership in the Earth Observation sector on a global level. COSMO-SkyMed’s data is marketed throughout the world by e-GEOS, a joint venture between Telespazio (80%) and ASI (20%).
Ever since the launch of the first satellite in 2007, the COSMO-SkyMed program has been an outstanding tool for observing our planet. With its innovative operational capabilities, it contributes to the continuous monitoring of the Earth's surface, to safety-related needs and to the management of natural events, as persistently shown by supporting damage assessment activities and rescuing operations following the occurred natural disasters. It remains the historical reference for Thales Alenia Space in term of radar satellites and has paved the way to the state of the art new radar satellite offer of the company.

In addition, Thales Alenia Space is also involved in the VS23 upcoming launch in two other important missions. For the CNES nanosatellite demonstrator ANGELS (ANGELS - Argos Neo on a Generic Economical and Light Satellite), the company provided ArgosNEO instrument to demonstrate the operational capability of a complex miniaturized instrument, offering high performance on a nanosat platform.

For European Space Agency CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite) mission, engineers from Thales Alenia Space in Switzerland were involved as Assembly Integration and Tests operation leader role, during the AIT campaign in Spain, while Leonardo provided the telescope optical system. In French Guyana, Thales Alenia Space in Belgium is the only non-Russian supplier on Soyuz as well as the exclusive supplier of the Soyuz safeguard system.