On December 23, 2021, Copernicus Sentinel-1B experienced an anomaly related to the instrument electronics power supply provided by the satellite platform, leaving it unable to provide radar data. Since then, operators and engineers have been working tirelessly to fix the issue. Unfortunately, despite all the joint efforts, the ESA and the European Commission have announced that it is the end of the Sentinel-1B mission.
The Director of ESA's Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, stated: “Unfortunately, we have to announce the end of the mission of the Copernicus Sentinel-1B satellite. The conclusion drawn by Anomaly Review Board is that it is impossible to recover the 28V regulated bus from the satellite's C-band synthetic aperture radar antenna power unit, which is required to power the radar electronics.
“Sentinel-1A remains very healthy in orbit, continuing to provide high quality radar imagery for a multitude of applications. Our focus is on accelerating the launch of Sentinel-1C. Now, thanks to the successful maiden flight of the Vega-C rocket on July 13th, we, with Arianespace, are targeting a launch in the second quarter of 2023.”
Meanwhile, data from Copernicus Contributing Mission, including from European New Space companies, will continue to be used to support the most critical products of the affected Copernicus Services. The Sentinel-1B satellite’s deorbit preparations are an example of our joint commitment by the European Union and the ESA to clean and responsible space, using the EU’s Space Surveillance and Tracking capabilities.”
