The mission contributes to numerous Copernicus services and applications, including Arctic sea-ice monitoring, iceberg tracking, routine sea-ice mapping and glacier-velocity measurements.

It also plays a vital role in marine surveillance, such as oil-spill detection, ship tracking for maritime security and monitoring illegal fishing activities, and more.

Additionally, it is widely used for observing ground deformation caused by subsidence, earthquakes and volcanic activity, as well as for mapping forests, water and soil resources.

The mission is crucial in supporting humanitarian aid and responding to crises worldwide.

Sentinel-1C and Sentinel-1D introduce new capabilities for detecting and monitoring maritime traffic, through their integrated Automatic Identification System instrument.

This system comprises four onboard antennas and optimises the capture of signals transmitted by ships, which include crucial details such as a vessel identity, location and direction of passage, enabling precise tracking.

ESA’s Director of Space Transportation, Toni Tolker-Nielsen, said, “With a choice of either two or four powerful boosters and a new restartable upper stage, the new Ariane 6 rockets provide Europe with greater efficiency and possibilities for launching a wide range of spacecraft.