CRISTAL-A

CRISTAL-A
NamesSentinel-9A
Mission typeEarth observation satellite
OperatorESA
Start of mission
Launch date2027 (planned)
RocketVega C
Launch siteGuiana Space Centre
CRISTAL-B (Sentinel-9B) →

CRISTAL-A, also known as Sentinel-9A, is a future European Earth observation satellite within the EU's Copernicus programme, first of the CRISTAL series. Its goal is to measure sea-ice thickness and overlying snow depth for use in planning maritime activities in polar oceans as well as coastal and inland waters and in climate change research. The satellite carries two instruments: the Interferometric Radar altimeter for Ice and Snow (IRIS) and the Microwave Radiometer (MWR). It was completed in September 2026 and is expected to launch on Vega C in late 2027.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Future satellite missions". CPOM. Retrieved 2026-10-26.
  2. ↑ "Thales Alenia Space proposals for the Copernicus project selected by European Space Agency". www.thalesgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-10-26.
  3. ↑ Kern, Michael; Cullen, Robert; Berruti, Bruno; Bouffard, Jerome; Casal, Tania; Drinkwater, Mark R.; Gabriele, Antonio; Lecuyot, Arnaud; Ludwig, Michael; Midthassel, Rolv; Navas Traver, Ignacio; Parrinello, Tommaso; Ressler, Gerhard; Andersson, Erik; Martin-Puig, Cristina (2020). "The Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL) high-priority candidate mission". The Cryosphere. 14 (7). Copernicus GmbH: 2235–2251. Bibcode:2020TCry...14.2235K. doi:10.5194/tc-14-2235-2020. ISSN 1994-0416.
  4. ↑ "CRISTAL | SentiWiki". sentiwiki.copernicus.eu. Retrieved 2026-10-26.
  5. ↑ "Ice mission CRISTAL opens its wings". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-10-26.
  6. ↑ "CRISTAL-A/Sentinel-9A | Vega C | Next Spaceflight". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 2026-10-26.