A constellation of four microsatellites for global Earth observation, developed by the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana and funded by the Italian Ministries of Research and Defence, that carry synthetic-aperture radar instruments capable of operating at high resolution in all visibilities and in real time. The satellites were launched on 8 June 2007, 9 December 2007, 25 October 2008, and 6 November 2010. A second generation of two satellites, to improve the quality of the imaging service, is to be launched in 2018 and 2019.