European space manufacturer Thales Alenia Space has been awarded a contract to build seven satellites for the Italian IRIDE constellation. Six of the 170 kg satellites will be equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that will be able to image the ground through cloud. A seventh satellite will have an imager for optical observation built by Italian companies Media Lario and TDS.
Worth €112 million (US$121 million), the contract for the six SAR satellites includes an option for four more valued at €75 million. The single Earth observation spacecraft is valued at €30 million with an option for an extra satellite worth €19 million. The satellites will all use the 170 kg Thales Alenia Space NIMBUS bus platform.
IRIDE is a government project funded by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), managed by the European Space Agency in conjunction with the Italian space agency ASI.
Artist’s impression of IRIDE optical (left) and SAR (right) IRIDE satellites. Courtesy: Thales Alenia Space
