The Italian Space Agency (ASI) and Thales Alenia Space (TAS), a joint-venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), have signed a contract for the implementation of NASA's Surface Biology and Geology - Thermal Infrared (SBG-TIR) Earth Observation mission.

The signing of the contract is the result of an agreement signed in 2023 between ASI and NASA for the Surface Biology and Geology – Thermal Infrared mission, marking a significant step in the historic collaboration between the two agencies and demonstrating the value of international synergy in addressing global challenges.

Among the main objectives, the mission aims to provide radiometric and multispectral measurements of terrestrial and aquatic emissions for climate, ecological, and geological analyses,and to support practical applications such as food security and water management.

The thermal infrared (TIR) radiometer, provided by NASA, and the VIS-NIR camera provided by ASI will work together to ensure high-quality observations, enabling the investigation of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, monitoring of water resources, and phenomena related to high temperatures such as wildfires and volcanic eruptions.

Thanks to its consolidated technical expertise and proven experience in Earth Observation missions,Thales Alenia Space will be responsible for the integration of the SBG - TIR satellite, adapting the PRIMA-S platform to host a spectrometer in the Thermal InfraRed (TIR) field and carrying out the necessary tests to ensure the success of the mission.

The satellite will also host the VIREO instrument, designed by Leonardo with the Italian
Space Agency (ASI) and which will acquire context images in the visible spectrum and in the near-infrared spectrum (VNIR).

The platform, derived from the HE-R1000 (High Efficiency Radar) solution, is part of Thales Alenia Space's Earth observation product lines, which, in turn, includes both radar and optical satellites.

More specifically, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) will collaborate with NASA on the management of the entire system, payload integration and launch operations. The US space agency will be responsible for the integration of the entire TIR instrument, which consists of the OTTER sensor, provided by NASA itself, and the Italian VIREO sensor, which will be developed by Leonardo.