Swedish Technology Powers European Sentinel-1D Environmental Satellite Launch
The upcoming launch of the Sentinel-1D satellite features critical Swedish technology contributions, enhancing Europe’s environmental monitoring capabilities through the Copernicus program.
- • Sentinel-1D will be launched from French Guiana on November 4, equipped with Swedish technology from Beyond Gravity.
- • Beyond Gravity developed key electronics and radar components for the satellite's payload and communication systems.
- • The satellite offers all-weather, day-and-night radar imaging to monitor environmental changes and support disaster management.
- • Sentinel-1D is part of the EU's Copernicus program, providing free environmental data globally for at least seven years.
Key details
On November 4, the European environmental satellite Sentinel-1D is scheduled for launch from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana aboard an Ariane 6 rocket. This mission prominently features Swedish technology, with key components developed by Beyond Gravity in Gothenburg and Linköping, underscoring Sweden’s crucial role in the EU’s advanced Earth observation program, Copernicus.
Sentinel-1D weighs 2,185 kilograms at launch and will orbit approximately 700 kilometers above Earth in a polar, sun-synchronous orbit, ensuring consistent and reliable environmental monitoring. The satellite is equipped with a C-band synthetic aperture radar system capable of capturing radar images irrespective of weather conditions or daylight. This enables continuous monitoring of sea ice, glacier dynamics, oil spills, ocean winds, waves, currents, land use changes, and land deformation. Additionally, these capabilities support rapid response for natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, as well as broader climate change research.
Swedish contributions are substantial. Beyond Gravity's Gothenburg facility designed and manufactured integral electronics for the satellite’s payload including uplink and downlink modules, a control unit, a transmission module, and components for the radar system and the telemetry, tracking, and command antenna. The navigation receiver, critical for determining the satellite’s precise orbit, also incorporates an antenna from Gothenburg.
Meanwhile, Beyond Gravity’s Linköping site supplied the payload adapter system that connects Sentinel-1D to the Ariane 6 rocket during launch and ensures accurate deployment into orbit.
Àsdís Vidarsdóttir, acting CEO of Beyond Gravity Sweden, highlighted the importance of their technology by stating, "The European Sentinel satellites provide unparalleled Earth observation data, day and night, under all weather conditions. Swedish technology enables this crucial Earth observation mission."
Sentinel-1D is a vital part of Copernicus, renowned as the world’s most detailed Earth observation system, delivering free data and services globally to support environmental management and climate science. The satellite is designed for at least seven years of operation, marking a significant leap forward in environmental satellite capabilities with Swedish technology at its core.