CRISTAL-A

1. Date to be confirmed

   CRISTAL-A

   To Be Determined

The source has not linked another mission stage.

Mission details

• planned

  Mission description

  CRISTAL-A is the first of two Copernicus satellites designed to measure sea-ice thickness, snow depth and ice-sheet elevation with a dual-frequency radar altimeter and a microwave radiometer. Assembly was completed at Airbus in September 2026, followed by solar-array deployment and launch-adapter checks. ESA plans environmental qualification in the Netherlands before a launch targeted for late 2027 to early 2028. CRISTAL-B is intended to continue the record near the end of the first spacecraft’s operating life.

  Evidence

  Reviewed English prose for the existing mission description; operational dates/status, entity identities, media and timelines remain untouched.

  • CRISTAL completes assembly and deployment checks ↗
  • IRIS dual-band measurements and their processing ↗
  • Two spacecraft for a continuing ice record ↗

  Verified 2026-10-28

Reporting

CRISTAL-A prepares for launch: why its ice radar also measures snow

The future Copernicus satellite has completed panel-deployment and launch-adapter checks. Environmental qualification is next, ahead of ESA’s late-2027 to early-2028 launch target.