Thales Alenia Space Partners with OHB to Deliver Advanced Radar Instruments for ESA’s Climate Monitoring Harmony Mission

Thales Alenia Space Partners with OHB to Deliver Advanced Radar Instruments for ESA’s Climate Monitoring Harmony Mission

(IN BRIEF) Thales Alenia Space has signed a contract with OHB to develop two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments for ESA’s Harmony mission, part of the Earth Explorer program. The Harmony mission, expected to launch in 2029, will consist of two satellites designed to work alongside Sentinel-1, providing detailed data on climate change, ocean and ice interactions, and natural disaster risk monitoring. Thales Alenia Space will lead a European consortium in developing the radar instruments, further strengthening its expertise in Earth observation technologies.

(PRESS RELEASE) MILAN, 16-Oct-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has announced the signing of a contract with OHB to design and develop two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) 10th Earth Explorer mission, Harmony. This mission will consist of two satellites and is expected to launch aboard a Vega-C vehicle by 2029. The Harmony mission will enhance Earth observation capabilities, contributing valuable data for climate research, ocean and ice monitoring, and natural disaster risk assessment.

Thales Alenia Space will lead a broad European industrial consortium to deliver the SAR instruments, focusing on the development of C-Band digital electronics and antenna tiles for both satellites. The project builds on the company’s expertise in radar-based Earth observation technology, as demonstrated in its role as prime contractor for the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission. Data from Harmony will complement Sentinel-1’s observations, offering unprecedented insight into ocean-ice-atmosphere interactions, earthquake dynamics, volcanic activity, and ice sheet deformation.

Giampiero Di Paolo, Senior Vice President of Observation, Exploration, and Navigation at Thales Alenia Space, emphasized the company’s leading position in the field: “This contract strengthens our reputation for delivering high-performance radar instruments. The Harmony mission represents a significant technological leap, helping to enhance our SAR product offerings in both institutional and commercial markets.”

About the 10th Earth Explorer Harmony mission

Earth Explorer missions form the science and research element of ESA’s Earth Observation FutureEO Programme. By returning critical data to understand the planet and predict what lies in store, the Earth Explorers are fundamental to advance science and, subsequently, to restore environmental balance for a sustainable future. Each of these extraordinary missions carries innovative space technology, demonstrating how new techniques can return an astonishing wealth of scientific findings about our planet.

Together with Sentinel-1, Harmony promises to provide a wealth of unique data on ocean–ice–atmosphere interactions at unprecedented resolution for more insight into upper-ocean heat exchanges, drivers of extreme weather and the long-term impacts of climate change.

The mission will also shed new light on deformation and flow dynamics at the rapidly changing edges of ice sheets for a better understanding of sea-level rise. In addition, Harmony will measure small shifts in the shape of the land caused by earthquakes and volcanic activity, thereby contributing to risk monitoring.

The Harmony mission consists of two bistatic passive Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) receive-only satellites, enhanced by a Thermal Infrared (TIR) optical payload, flying in a loose formation with Sentinel-1. Using Sentinel-1 as an illuminator of opportunity and augmenting its observations with a multi-static configuration for direct measurements of surface velocities will make a highly innovative contribution to Earth Observation capabilities.

ABOUT THALES ALENIA SPACE

Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies’ Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of approximately €2.2 billion in 2023. Thales Alenia Space has around 8,600 employees in 9 countries, with 16 sites in Europe and a plant in the US.

www.thalesaleniaspace.com

Media Contacts:

Tarik Lahlou
Tel: +33 (0)6 87 95 89 56
tarik.lahlou@thalesaleniaspace.com

Catherine des Arcis
Tel: +33 (0)6 78 64 63 97
catherine.des-arcis@thalesaleniaspace.com

Cinzia Marcanio
Tel.: +39 (0)6 415 126 85
cinzia.marcanio@thalesaleniaspace.com

SOURCE: THALES