Hi,
I have been looking around for more information on when to expect a second functional Sentinel-1 satellite in orbit. But most of official news sources are old and I do not know where else to ask but here.
1C was slated for launch in early 2023, but as we all know that did not happen as the fleet got grounded. 1D is set for a 2024 launch, but has presumably been delayed as well. So my question is two fold:
- Does anyone know what is happening and what kind of timeline we are looking at for 1C?
- Why is ESA not better at communicating this out and give updates? Most official communication on the topic predates the grounding of the fleet. Perhaps this information is being shared somewhere that I do not know?
I’d appreciate any information on this as we are eager to get more frequent cover and better world cover.
Thank you.
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Dear Kongstad,
Sentinel-1C launch has been a priority since the failure of S-1B. it was initially planned to be in May/2023.
However, following the failure of the Vega-C launcher in December 2022, it was impossible to proceed as planned. The S-1C launch has been since been dependent on the successful outcome of the Vega-C return to flight programme.
As per today’s situation, Sentinel-1C should be launched by end of this year with Vega-C return to flight, if the firing tests happening this summer are successful.
In the case it is not, all the options open including going with another launcher, it is premature to communicate on it.
The launch of Sentinel-1D is being actively discussed. It is the ESA intention is to reduce the time between two as much as possible. At worst, it is 12-13 months but we are working to make it happen sooner.
There is no point for ESA to hide this info. Regular updates are provided to the users on various forums ( conferences or else). The situation is however highly dynamic and not fully under ESA control making definitive statement on launch date a challenge.
Kind regards,
Nuno Miranda
Sentinel-1 Mission Manager
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Dear Nuno,
Thank you very much for the reply. It all makes sense and it is nice to know what we can expect for this year and just to get a hint of what is happening behind the scenes. Having this kind of information makes it easier to manage expectation within the company I work for.
I did not mean to insinuate that anyone at ESA is hiding the information, but rather that there is an information gap here. As I could tell there has been no update to old existing information about a 2023 and 2024 launch. My wish was only that of a statement of mission status to be released in a public setting that would figure in say a google search or on the ESA website under news.
Again I appreciate you taking the time to reply.
Best regards,
Peter Kongstad