Europe – November 04, 2026 -- OHB System AG, a subsidiary of OHB SE, has won a contract worth more than EUR 554 million from the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop the next-generation Sentinel-3 Topography (S3-NGT) satellites for the EU's Copernicus Earth observation programme. The contract includes an option for a second satellite.
OHB will act as prime contractor and build the satellites with a European industry consortium. OHB SE CEO Marco Fuchs said the award reflects confidence in OHB's expertise and in European space industry capability. He said the mission will supply data for climate research, environmental monitoring and polar ice protection.
S3-NGT splits the instrument suite of today's twin Sentinel-3 satellites
Two identical Sentinel-3 satellites currently monitor sea and ice surface topography, plus the temperature and colour of sea and land surfaces. Each carries the full instrument set, including the altimeter radar and the spectrometer.
In the next generation, the optical instruments move to a separate mission. They will observe the Earth's surface in the visible, infrared and spectral ranges and measure surface temperature. The altimeter radar instruments will fly on the two new S3-NGT satellites.
Mission targets wider coverage, shorter revisit times and more precise sea level data
The two identical satellites will operate in a sun-synchronous orbit with advanced altimeters. Compared with the current Sentinel-3 satellites, S3-NGT is designed to deliver improved coverage, shorter repeat times and markedly more precise sea level height measurements. Target areas include ocean surfaces, coastal regions, sea ice and land surfaces.
Ann-Theres Schulz, S3-NGT project lead at OHB System AG, said the mission will raise height-measurement accuracy, cover larger areas and allow faster repeat cycles. She said the consortium pools more than four decades of European altimetry mission experience.
ESA frames contract signing as continuity step built on Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-6
ESA S3-NGT project manager Miguel Such Taboada said the signing is a milestone for Copernicus altimetry. He said the mission builds on Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-6, secures continuity of Earth observation and brings a significant performance leap in measuring oceans, inland waters and ice masses.