Contract secures build for ESA's Harmony mission

Contract secures build for ESA's Harmony mission
by Erica Marchand
Paris, France (SPX) Oct 16, 2024

ESA has awarded a contract valued at over euro 280 million to OHB in Germany to construct two Harmony Earth Explorer satellites. The mission aims to deliver important new data about Earth's dynamic systems, including land surface changes from seismic and volcanic activities, as well as glacier movements. Additionally, it will provide insights into the interactions between the ocean and atmosphere, contributing to a broader understanding of Earth processes.

The agreement was signed by Simonetta Cheli, ESA's Director of Earth Observations Programmes, and Rudiger Schonfeld, Board Member of OHB System AG, during the International Astronautical Congress in Milan.

Simonetta Cheli said, "We are thrilled to award the industrial contract, worth over euro 280 million, to OHB System AG as prime contractor for the two Harmony satellites. This exciting new mission comprises two identical satellites, each of which carry a receive-only synthetic aperture radar and a multiview thermal-infrared instrument. They will orbit Earth in convoy with a Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite to yield new information to answer important questions on Earth system processes. By providing a diverse array of high-resolution measurements of motion occurring at or near Earth's surface, we fully expect Harmony to build on the success of our other Earth Explorer missions. These missions have made significant contributions gaps in our knowledge of how Earth works. And now, Harmony is poised to further enhance our understanding of by delivering valuable data that will benefit Earth system science and climate research."

Rudiger Schonfeld added, "We thank ESA for their trust in developing this complex mission and now look forward to getting underway with the build. As our subcontractors for Harmony, Thales Alenia Space in Italy is responsible for the synthetic aperture radar and ABB in Canada is responsible for the thermal-infrared imager. With the contract now signed, it's full steam ahead for Harmony, which has to be built within the next five years in order for the satellites to meet their rendezvous with a Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite."

Florence Heliere, Harmony Project Manager, commented, "The expertise and commitment of our industrial partners are invaluable assets for the Harmony mission, helping us achieve our rendezvous with Sentinel-1 and to advance our scientific understanding of the Earth system."

The Harmony satellites will work in tandem with a Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite, with their configuration evolving throughout the mission. Harmony's synthetic aperture radar will capture Sentinel-1 radar signals reflected off Earth's surface, while its thermal-infrared instruments will offer complementary observations of the sea surface and cloud dynamics.

This dual approach will provide unprecedented data on ocean-ice-atmosphere interactions, shedding light on upper-ocean heat exchanges, extreme weather drivers such as hurricanes, and the long-term effects of climate change. It will also supply information on surface-wind stress, ocean currents, waves, and sea-surface temperatures at multiple scales, enabling simultaneous observation from different angles.

Over land, Harmony will support the monitoring of small surface deformations associated with earthquakes and volcanic activity, aiding in geohazard assessment for active regions. Additionally, it will deliver new data to study 3D glacier dynamics and deformation at the ice sheet margins, improving understanding of ice loss impacts on sea-level rise.