(16 February 2016) Finmeccanica’s space activities continue to grow, as the Italian group signed two new contracts, worth a total of €138 million, as part of the Sentinel-3 mission of the Copernicus Programme, coordinated by the European Commission in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the contribution of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), Copernicus will monitor the environment, help mitigate the effects of climate change and provide data that can help improve the management of humanitarian emergencies, natural disasters and public security. The first contract, worth €97 million for six years, was signed by Finmeccanica’s Airborne and Space Systems Division with Thales Alenia Space (67% owned by Thales, 33% by Finmeccanica). The agreement provides for the supply of infrared radiometers for Sentinel-3C and 3D satellites. Finmeccanica will lead an international consortium that will develop these Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometers (SLSTRs), which are able to measure the Earth’s temperature and its oceans from space, giving results precise to tenth of a degree. These SLSTRs will provide crucial information for climatology and meteorological applications and aid in the fight against global warming. The second contract, worth €41 million, was signed by Telespazio (67% owned by Finmeccanica, 33% by Thales) and the ESA. According to the agreement, Telespazio will lead a group of European companies until 2021 in the management of operations for the ground segment of the Sentinel-3 mission, including maintenance and development activities. Through these services, users – from land management organizations to civil protection agencies – will be able to access important environmental data three hours after it is acquired by the satellites. (Red)
