N° 53–2025: Call for interest: Copernicus Sentinel-1D media opportunities at Europe’s Spaceport

Journalists wishing to participate to the launch media programme, detailed below, are asked to submit their application via ESA’s media accreditation page as soon as possible and no later than Thursday 25 September 2025, at 17:00 CEST.

ESA and its partners are planning a wide range of media activities ahead of, and for, the launch of Sentinel-1D on Ariane 6, flight VA265, expected to take place no earlier than beginning of November 2025, including online pre-launch media briefings.

This call for interest only relates to those activities taking place at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, to ensure that media accreditation is completed in time for the visits, and to establish a reserve list for the programmes in the event of cancellations.

 

Programme

Date TBC, no earlier than beginning of November 2025.

Arrival in French Guiana is planned the day before launch and return the day after.

This two-day programme will allow journalists to conduct interviews with the teams responsible for the launch (including those working on Ariane 6, launch operations and the Sentinel-1D mission) and VIP guests on launch day and the following day.

It will also take into consideration a potential launch delay of up to one day.

Journalists will be able to report live from Kourou. More details on the date and time of the launch will be provided at a later stage.

Spokespersons and experts from ESA and its partners including the European Commission, Thales Alenia Space and Arianespace will be available on site for interviews during the media programmes.

Please note that b-roll material and a clean feed of the launch will be available to media.

Journalists will also be invited to join online media briefings in several languages approximately 10 days before the launch.

In addition to the launch event in French Guiana, a media launch event will be organised at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), in Darmstadt, Germany. More details will be provided closer to the date.

Media accreditation for all these opportunities will open later this year.

 

Registration

Please express your interest in attending the launch media programme in French Guiana by selecting and completing the relevant form by Thursday 25 September 2025, at 17:00 CEST at https://blogs.esa.int/forms/esa-media-briefing-form.

Please note:

• ESA will recommend flight dates and accommodation options to confirmed participants to facilitate the trip;
• because the number of places is limited, ESA cannot guarantee all interested media will be able to join this visit. For this reason, the Agency will also establish a reserve list for the event in case of cancellations.
• accreditation formalities to access Europe’s Spaceport will have to be completed immediately after confirmation of participation;
• yellow fever vaccination is compulsory to enter French Guiana (this will be checked at the airport).

 

About Copernicus Sentinel-1

Carrying advanced radar technology to provide an all-weather, day-and-night supply of imagery of Earth’s surface, the ambitious Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission has raised the bar for spaceborne radar.

The mission benefits numerous Copernicus services and applications such as those that relate to Arctic sea-ice monitoring, iceberg tracking, routine sea-ice mapping, glacier-velocity monitoring, surveillance of the marine environment including oil-spill monitoring and ship detection for maritime security as well as illegal fisheries monitoring.

It is also used for monitoring ground deformation resulting from subsidence, earthquakes and volcanoes, mapping for forest, water and soil management, and mapping to support humanitarian aid and crisis situations.

Copernicus the Sentinel-1 mission is the result of close collaboration between ESA, the European Commission, industry, service providers and data users.

The Copernicus component of the EU Space Programme is supported by a set of dedicated missions, known as the Copernicus Sentinels, contributing missions, which include commercial satellites from EU Member States  and in-situ (non-space) data.

While the European Union is at the helm of Copernicus, ESA develops, builds and launches the dedicated Sentinel satellites. ESA also operates some the missions and ensures the availability of data.

Designed and built by a consortium of around 60 companies led by Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence and Space, the Sentinel-1 mission is an outstanding example of Europe’s technological excellence.

The Copernicus Sentinel-1D satellite will join its sibling, Sentinel-1C, which was launched last December. Sentinel-1D will replace the older Sentinel-1A satellite, which has been in orbit for almost 11 years now, well beyond its planned lifetime.

 

About Ariane 6

Ariane 6 is Europe’s heavy launcher and a key element of ESA’s efforts to ensure autonomous access to space for Europe’s citizens. Its modular and versatile design allows it to launch all missions from low-Earth orbit into deep space. Standing over 60 metres tall, Ariane 6 can weigh almost 900 tonnes when launched with a full payload.

Ariane 6 has three stages: two or four boosters, and a main and upper stage. For this launch, the rocket will be in its two-booster configuration.

The main stage and the solid rocket boosters are responsible for the first phase of flight. The stage is powered by the Vulcain 2.1 engine (fuelled by liquid oxygen and hydrogen), with the main thrust at liftoff provided by the P120C boosters.

The upper stage is powered by the reignitable Vinci engine fuelled by cryogenic liquid oxygen and hydrogen. The upper stage will fire one time to reach the required orbit for this mission.

After separation of the payload, Ariane 6 will have a second burn planned to deorbit the upper stage and reduce space debris.

It will be the second flight with a Copernicus Sentinel payload onboard after launching the Sentinel-5 instrument as part of the MetOp-SG-A1 launch in August last month.

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About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.  

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.  

ESA has 23 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia are Associate Members.  

ESA has established formal cooperation with four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.  

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.  

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