Rome, January 5. Italy has successfully launched the third satellite of its COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) Earth-observation constellation, marking another major step in upgrading the country’s space-based radar monitoring system.
The satellite lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on January 2. Less than an hour later, signals from the spacecraft were picked up by Telespazio’s Fucino Space Centre in Italy’s Abruzzo region, confirming it was functioning normally in orbit. The launch and early orbit phase is expected to last about nine days.
COSMO-SkyMed is a dual-use programme owned by the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence, providing high-resolution radar imagery for both civilian and military applications. The satellites are built by Thales Alenia Space, while Telespazio operates them in orbit and manages the ground segment. Leonardo supplies key onboard systems, and data are commercially distributed by e-GEOS.
With this third Second Generation satellite now in orbit, Italy is steadily replacing the original COSMO-SkyMed system. The new generation uses advanced synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) technology to deliver sharper images and wider area coverage, ensuring continuity of services while significantly boosting overall performance. When the four-satellite constellation is fully deployed, it will support a broader range of applications, from security and surveillance to environmental monitoring and disaster response.
Since the first COSMO-SkyMed satellite was launched in 2007, the system has collected around 4.3 million images, which are stored in a vast archive used by governments, agencies and commercial users. As part of the European Union’s Copernicus programme, COSMO-SkyMed also plays a key role in the EU’s Emergency Rapid Mapping service, providing satellite maps of areas hit by natural disasters or humanitarian crises within hours.
Italian industry underpins the entire programme, with Leonardo, Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio working alongside a network of smaller companies. Thales Alenia Space oversees the development and integration of the satellites and the end-to-end system, while Telespazio manages everything from launch operations to routine satellite control. Leonardo contributes critical attitude-control and power-management systems.
The data generated by COSMO-SkyMed are marketed worldwide by e-GEOS, which turns the imagery into applications and services for emergency management, infrastructure monitoring, maritime traffic control, precision agriculture, and the tracking of natural resources and ecosystems.
