Posted: Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 7:52 PM ET (0052 GMT)
ESA awarded contracts Friday for three sets of Copernicus Earth observation satellites worth 1.3 billion euros ($1.54 billion). The three Copernicus satellite pairs are part of six High-Priority Candidate Missions approved at ESA's Space19+ ministerial meeting a year ago. Thales Alenia Space secured contracts for the Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) and Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission (CHIME) satellites, while Airbus Defence and Space won a contract for the Copernicus Land Surface Temperature Monitoring (LSTM) satellites. The European Union and ESA member states must still decide whether to proceed with the development of the three missions in mid to late 2021.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  BBC article
•  ESA press release