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The Copernicus Sentinel-1D satellite has joined the Sentinel-1 mission in orbit. Launch took place on 4 November 2025 at 22:02 CET (18:02 local time) on board an Ariane 6 launcher from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

The Sentinel-1 mission delivers high-resolution radar images of Earth’s surface, performing in all weathers, day-and-night. This service is used by disaster response teams, environmental agencies, maritime authorities and climate scientists, who depend on frequent updates of critical data.

Sentinel-1D will work in tandem with Sentinel-1C, flying in the same orbit but 180° apart, to optimise global coverage and data delivery. Both satellites have

As the United Nations COP30 climate change conference convenes in Belém, Brazil, the world's attention will turn to the heart of the Amazon rainforest – a region that symbolises both hope and concern in the fight against climate change.

Once considered one of Earth's most vital carbon sinks, the Amazon is now showing troubling signs – satellite observations reveal that parts of this vast ecosystem are no longer absorbing carbon dioxide as they once did. In some areas, the forest has even become a net source of carbon emissions.

Week in images: 03-07 November 2025

Discover our week through the lens

Paris, France (SPX) Nov 06, 2025
The Copernicus Sentinel-1D satellite was successfully launched on November 4, 2025, at 22:02 CET from French Guiana using an Ariane 62 rocket. Sentinel-1D joins the Copernicus programme, providing essential data for environmental monitoring, infrastructure assessment, and disaster response. The Sentinel-1 mission now features two identical satellites in orbit, imaging Earth's surface every

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Nov 06, 2025
Researchers at the University of Western Australia, along with colleagues from the University of Bristol, the Geological Survey of Western Australia, and Curtin University, examined feldspar crystals from anorthosite rocks found in the Murchison region of Western Australia. These rocks, dated at 3.7 billion years old, are confirmed to be the oldest on the Australian continent and among the earli

Hamilton, New Zealand (SPX) Nov 06, 2025
As satellite technology surges ahead and space becomes increasingly accessible to private and state actors alike, the new and unsettling threat of space terrorism looms above Earth's atmosphere. Once the domain of science fiction, the idea of terrorist activity in outer space is now a growing concern among experts. The democratisation of space has not only opened the door to innovati

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Nov 05, 2025
BlackSky Technology Inc. has secured a multi-year contract worth over 30 million dollars to integrate its Gen-3 high-cadence tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) services into the secure operational environment of a strategic international defense customer. The program aims to boost sovereign space-based intelligence capacities by leveraging BlackSky's commercial t

Long before humans reached orbit, insects had already shown they could handle the hurdles of spaceflight. Light, highly adaptable and nutritionally rich, these resilient animals present an attractive option for European researchers studying reliable food sources for long-duration missions.

Image: Ahead of the 30th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP30) taking place in Belém, Brazil, from 10-21 November, this IRIDE image shows the Branco River and its surrounding forests in the Brazilian state of Roraima.

Tallahassee FL (SPX) Nov 7, 2025
Electricity powers our lives, including our cars, phones, computers and more, through the movement of electrons within a circuit. While we can't see these electrons, electric currents moving through a conductor flow like water through a pipe to produce electricity. Certain materials, however, allow that electron flow to "freeze" into crystallized shapes, triggering a transition in the stat