Thales Alenia Space' Spanish subsidiary Thales Alenia Space España has been selected to supply the X-band communication subsystems and the S-band TT&C transponders for the first three Sentinel observation satellites in the European Space Agency's Kopernikus program (formerly known as GMES - Global Monitoring for Environment and Security.)

The Sentinel satellites are being developed as part of the Space Component of the Kopernikus program, which is being co-funded by the European Commission. Thales Alenia Space Italy and France are prime contractors for the Sentinel 1 and 3 satellites, respectively, while Astrium is in charge of Sentinel 2. As prime contractor for the X-band communication subsystem (TXA), Thales Alenia Space España leads a consortium including Thales Alenia Space France and Belgian companies. They are responsible for the specification, design, assembly, integration and testing (AIT), and delivery of this assembly for the Sentinel 1, 2, and 3 satellite families, as well as for the three recurrent ones. Thales Alenia Space's Spanish subsidiary will also develop, manufacture and supply the S-band TT&C (telemetry, tracking and command) transponders for the three Sentinel satellites. The X-band subsystem transmits high data volumes from observation satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) to ground stations. The downlink data rate, based on an innovative arrangement of two frequency-multiplexed RF channels, exceeds 600 Mbps. The S-band TT&C transponders allow Earth stations to control and communicate with the satellite.