Overview
- Ariane 6 lifted off from Kourou shortly after 22:00 local time with the Sentinel-1D satellite, which is now being brought under control from ESA’s center in Darmstadt.
- Sentinel-1D is set to replace Sentinel-1A to maintain a comparable C‑band radar time series at roughly 5-by-5-meter resolution with millimetre-scale change detection from about 700 kilometers altitude.
- The spacecraft adds an AIS receiver to detect ships on the world’s oceans, supporting maritime monitoring and efforts to track illegal activity at sea.
- Copernicus data stay largely free to access worldwide, though security‑sensitive imagery is restricted and users in Russia and Belarus face blocks, according to EU officials.
- With this launch the Copernicus fleet reaches 12 satellites, and Sentinel-1D carries a nominal seven-year mission life with hopes of operating for up to ten years.