The fourth satellite for the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission
Sentinel-1D is set to strengthen Europe’s all-weather, day-and-night radar imaging capability, ensuring continuity for Copernicus applications that support environmental management, climate resilience, and public safety. The Sentinel‑1 mission provides a steady stream of synthetic aperture radar data from a sun-synchronous orbit, enabling reliable observations regardless of cloud cover or lighting conditions.
With Sentinel‑1B retired in 2022 and disposal completed in 2024, the constellation has been progressively restored—Sentinel‑1C launched in December 2024—and Sentinel‑1D this week on Ariane 6 (flight VA265) from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Our role at Telespazio Germany
Telespazio Germany is supporting the Sentinel‑1D launch and the Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP) across mission operations, ground segment services, and software coordination. Down‑range tracking support is being provided through our ESTRACK service team, complementing ESA’s network coverage and ensuring robust visibility and handover during critical launch and early orbit events. At New Norcia ground station, Luca Foiadelli is engaged with Operations Manager and System Engineer responsibilities dedicated to flight VA265, reinforcing telemetry, tracking, and command readiness for the campaign. In parallel, at ESOC, Michel Ammon contributes as System Engineer, strengthening operational preparedness and procedures.
Our cross‑team coordination includes our DS team under Valerio Marcelli and the Deputy Sims Officer, ensuring that simulation readiness and operational run‑throughs align with the evolving launch schedule and mission configuration.
24/7 LEOP coverage and Telespazio Germany
Sentinel‑1D LEOP requires continuous spacecraft monitoring and commanding during every ground station visibility for at least three days. This is delivered through two 12‑hour shifts (A and B teams) to maintain a 24/7 posture. Telespazio Germany personnel confirmed for LEOP include Marcello Mininni as Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS) engineer in the B team, Valentin Mihail as Analyst in the B team, Jordan Goodfellow as Software Coordinator in the B team, and Willian Abreu Ferreira as Software Coordinator in the A team.
The AOCS engineer ensures correct and stable spacecraft pointing by supervising the activation of units, verifying autonomous attitude control performance, and coordinating propulsion commands when required for orbit adjustments or collision avoidance. This role is pivotal during LEOP, where rapid, well‑reasoned responses to anomalies safeguard spacecraft health and mission continuity.
The Analyst maintains mission data integrity and operational resilience by deploying updated databases as needed, validating telemetry processing chains, and keeping the Mission Control System (MCS) backup and prime servers synchronised so that redundancy is assured and the backup can assume operations immediately if necessary.
The Software Coordinator serves as the first line for software issues, orchestrating swift resolution with dedicated engineering teams and ensuring that all operational tools and services remain stable during time‑critical phases.
Commitment to mission success
Telespazio’s contribution to Sentinel‑1D is rooted in operational excellence and collaboration across ESA centres, ground stations, and software teams. By combining experienced engineering leadership, resilient ground segment operations, and responsive software support, we help ensure that Sentinel‑1D transitions safely from launch to routine service.