Radar satellite becomes operational for European Earth-observation mission
NewsMay 04, 2026
PARIS, France. The Copernicus Sentinel-1D satellite is now operational after completing its in-orbit commissioning phase, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced in a statement.
Sentinel-1D launched in November and is the fourth Sentinel-1 satellite deployed for the Copernicus radar mission, the statement reads.
The Sentinel-1 mission uses synthetic aperture radar to collect images of Earth’s surface in all weather conditions during day and night, ESA says. The data is used for applications including disaster monitoring, sea-ice observation, land-deformation tracking, and deforestation monitoring, according to the statement.
The mission was designed as a two-satellite constellation, with identical satellites orbiting Earth 180 degrees apart to support coverage, the statement reads. Sentinel-1A launched in 2014, followed by Sentinel-1B in 2016. The Sentinel-1B mission ended in August 2022 after a technical issue stopped it from acquiring data, ESA says.
Sentinel-1C launched in 2024 to restore the constellation, followed by Sentinel-1D the next year, the statement adds.
