European Ariane 6 rocket launches remote sensing satellite into orbit



11/05/2025 9:51 AM


On Tuesday, the Ariane 6 launch vehicle successfully sent the European Space Agency's (ESA) Sentinel-1D Earth observation radar satellite into orbit, as announced by operator Arianespace.



DLR
"Arianespace's Ariane 6 successfully placed the satellite into orbit," stated Arianespace CEO David Cavaillès.

The launch occurred at 6:02 PM local time on Tuesday from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

Forty-three minutes after launch, the satellite, which weighs 2,184 kilograms, reached a sun-synchronous orbit approximately 693 kilometers above Earth.

The satellite's main purpose is to enhance radar imaging for environmental monitoring.
It is intended to replace the Sentinel-1B satellite, which stopped working nearly three years ago. Currently, the only operational satellite from the European Sentinel series is Sentinel-1A, which is still active in orbit.

source: reuters.com


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