ESA handpicks TU Delft STEREOID and G-CLASS mission proposals

Out of the 21 proposals submitted for new satellite missions, ESA selected three mission ideas for feasibility study: Stereoid, Daedalus and G-Class.  Two of the three mission ideas (STEREOID and G-CLASS) came from the Satellite Radar Lab of TU Delft.
The STEROID mission would orbit in formation with one of the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites. Carrying a synthetic aperture radar, it will focus on monitoring the small movements in glaciers, ocean and earth surfaces.  This will improve our understanding of small-scale ocean circulation patterns, advance knowledge of glacial dynamics and their contribution to sea-level rise, and measure changes in land-surface topography.
The second mission, G-CLASS, would also carry a synthetic aperture radar on a geostationary satellite which will enable continuous monitoring of Europe and Africa. The mission aims to make observations of diurnal water cycle processes to improve the prediction capability for rainfall, water availability, flooding and landslides.
These earth observation missions can shape the future on how we look at our planet. A great opportunity for the Satellite Radar Lab of the TU Delft to be leading this.

The concepts will now be further developed together with industry, after which one of the competitive concepts will actually be realized. Launch is planned in 2027–28.