On 1 February 2022, the second satellite of the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) constellation was successfully launched at 00.11 CET from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida (USA), with a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrier. COSMO-SkyMed (COnstellation of small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation) is the first dual system civil and military, of terrestrial observation radar satellites. It is the Italian component of an Italian-French system resulting from the Turin agreement, a bilateral intergovernmental agreement signed in 2001. In its final configuration, the bilateral system ORFEO has 4 Italian X-band radar satellites, COSMO-SkyMed, and 2 French optical satellites, Pleiades, thus increasing overall capacities.
Furthermore, COSMO-SkyMed is the Italian component (national contributing mission) of the European Copernicus system and is registered among the data sources of the European INSPIRE initiative.
The satellite launched was built by Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between the French company Thales (67%) and the Italian Leonardo (33%), and it managed in orbit by Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%).
The first satellite of the CSG successfully launched on 18 December 2019 from Kourou Space Center (French Guiana) using a Soyuz launcher. CSG is the mission “heir” of the First-Generation COSMO SkyMed. It ensures the operational continuity of its observation services from space, incorporating and managing the previous satellites. CSG drastically improves the performance of the service in terms of image quality and flexibility, consolidating the Italian leadership in the sector and guaranteeing the survival of the national industry. It also allows the development of innovative products worldwide and international cooperation of strategic interest.
As previously stated, COSMO-SkyMed has the objective to simultaneously satisfy the “civil” needs, such as agriculture, environment or cartography, and the “military” ones of security and defence. Each satellite covers a band of the earth’s surface without overlapping the others: thanks to SAR radars, it is possible to monitor the exploitation of mineral deposits, precision agriculture, flooded areas, and the impact of a hurricane on a material and economic level, and any threats to safety.
So far, the mission seems accomplished.
Written by Francesco Giannelli
