4 January 2026 – The third satellite part of the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) constellation, owned by the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defense, built by Thales Alenia Space and operated in orbit by Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo and Thales, has successfully been launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California (USA), aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. COSMO-SkyMed (Constellation of Satellites for the Mediterranean basin Observation) is a dual-use Earth observation constellation owned by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the Italian Ministry of Defense. Regarding the development of the constellation, the Italian industry plays a leading role with Leonardo and the joint ventures Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio and e-GEOS, plus with a significant number of small and medium-sized enterprises. Read more