European environmental satellite Sentinel-1D set to fly with Beyond Gravity technology

On November 4, the European environmental satellite “Copernicus Sentinel-1D” is scheduled for launch from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana, South America, aboard a European Ariane 6 rocket. The Sentinel-1D mission will provide radar imagery independent of weather conditions and daylight for monitoring land and oceans, supporting environmental management, disaster response, and climate change research. “Understanding what’s happening on our planet—environmentally and from a global security perspective—is more critical than ever. The European Sentinel satellites deliver unparalleled Earth observation data, day and night, in all weather conditions. We’re proud that the newest Sentinel satellite, like its predecessors and successors, depends on our mission-critical components to help safeguard the future of our world”, says Oliver Grassmann, Executive Vice President Satellites at Beyond Gravity. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, Beyond Gravity is a leading provider for both established customers and New Space customers. The company also provided vital components to the Ariane 6 launch vehicle for which Ariane Group is the main contractor. For the satellite mission Sentinel-1D Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales 67% and Leonardo 33%, is the main contractor.

Thermal protection against extreme cold and heat

A thermal insulation from Beyond Gravity protects the environmental satellite including its 12-meter-long radar antenna from the extreme cold and heat in space. A multi-layer thermal insulation made out of several layers of ultra-thin special polyimide foils will keep the instrument of the satellite at the required operating temperature despite the extremely harsh thermal environment in space. The thermal insulation was designed and produced at Beyond Gravity’s sites in Austria. Nearly every European ESA satellite is protected by thermal insulation from Beyond Gravity.  

Structures for the satellite’s 12-meter-long radar instrument

The main instrument of the satellite is its 12-meter-long synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Beyond Gravity provided the support structures for the 12-meter-long radar antenna. Both, the primary structural elements of the SAR antenna, and the antenna support structure, which provides the interface between the SAR and the satellite bus during launch, were designed and produced at the company’s site in Zurich, Switzerland. The advantage of radar is that it can image Earth’s surface through rain and cloud, and regardless of whether it is day or night. This is particularly useful for monitoring areas prone to long periods of darkness – such as the Arctic – or providing imagery for emergency response during extreme weather conditions. 

Precise positioning for more accurate environmental data

The satellite’s position in space is determined to within centimeters using technology from Beyond Gravity’s site in Vienna, Austria. The more accurate the positioning, the more accurate the data provided by the satellite. The receiver can process both US GPS and European Galileo signals. The navigation receiver can also compute the new High Accuracy Service, which has been provided by Galileo satellites since 2023. Currently, Beyond Gravity’s navigation receivers determine the position of around 30 satellites in space. 

Central parts of radar payload

Beyond Gravity’s site in Gothenburg, Sweden, delivered important electronics for the payload of the satellite. The company designed and produced the uplink and downlink modules, the tile control unit and the transmit module. Beyond Gravity also delivered central parts of the C-band synthetic aperture radar payload as well as the spacecraft’s TTC antenna (Telemetry, Tracking and Command). The satellite will fly at an altitude of around 700 kilometers.

Payload fairing protects the satellite

The top of the Ariane 6 rocket, designed and assembled by ArianeGroup, consists of the payload fairing from Beyond Gravity made of carbon fiber composite. The fairing has a diameter of 5.4 meters. Produced at the Beyond Gravity site in Emmen, Switzerland, the two halves of the payload fairing protect the satellite from the harsh forces experienced during launch and the early flight stages.

Payload adapter for Ariane 6

Beyond Gravity’s site in Linköping (Sweden) provided the payload adapter system for Europe’s heavy-lift launcher Ariane 6. The payload adapter system connects satellite and launcher during liftoff, then precisely supporting the release of the satellite into orbit once the proper altitude is reached. 

High-temperature insulation

In Austria, Beyond Gravity produced the high-temperature insulation for the rocket engines of the launcher’s lower and upper stage. On the journey from Earth to space, the Vulcain rocket engine, which is protected by the insulation, has to withstand extreme heat of up to 1,500 degrees Celsius for several minutes. The high-temperature insulation for the upper stage of the Ariane 6 launcher (near the Vinci restart able engine) consists of glass fabric and polymer films.

Gimbal Mechanism

For Ariane 6, the Austrian Beyond Gravity site is also supplying a gimbal mechanism for the upper stage of the rocket. The mechanism serves as a joint to align the engine for the thrust vector control of the rocket's upper stage. The special mechanism, which weighs just ten kilograms, has to transmit the thrust forces of 15 tons, comparable to the force of a diesel locomotive.

About Sentinel

Sentinel-1D is an important part of Copernicus, the Earth observation component of the European Union’s space program. Copernicus is considered as the world’s most advanced Earth observation system. It provides free Earth observation data and services to organizations and citizens around the globe. The program, managed by the European Commission, is funded by the European Union with a contribution from the European Space Agency (ESA).

Images

Image 1: The environmental satellite Sentinel-1D will use various key components from Beyond Gravity. © ESA/ATG Medialab. Download: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2024/10/Sentinel-1_radar_satellite
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2014/02/Sentinel-1_radar_modes

Image 2: The environmental satellite Sentinel-1D will provide detailed imagery of Earth, that can be used for monitoring the oceans, including shipping lanes, sea ice, icebergs and oil spills. © ESA/ATG Medialab. Download: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2014/01/Sentinel-1_radar_vision

Image 3: Beyond Gravity provided the support structure for the 12-meter-long radar antenna of the environmental satellite Sentinel-1D. © ESA–S. Corvaja (the image shows the identical Sentinel-1A satellite) https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2014/01/Sentinel-1A_radar_deployment12

Image 4: The Ariane 6 launch vehicle uses the payload fairing and the payload adapter from Beyond Gravity. © ESA-D. Ducros. Download: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2024/03/Ariane_6_first_flight_fairing_separation