Device Will Replace Previous Models for Environmental Observation

An Airbus-built Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite was successfully launched on September 5. It will join the Copernicus constellation working to identify and monitor several changes on the ground.

The Sentinel-2C, which launched on a Vega rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, is a part of the Copernicus mission. This is the Earth Observation sector of the EU Space Programme and is managed under the European Commission (EC) and European Space Agency (ESA) partnership. It provides remote sensing of Earth, assisting in environmental observation and sustainability.

The latest satellite was on board Arianespace’s final Vega rocket. The new Vega C version will be used moving forward.

“This launch gives the world another important sensor to monitor our changing planet and provides crucial continuity since the first Sentinel-2 satellite launch in 2015,” stated Marc Steckling, Head of Earth Observation, Science and Exploration at Airbus. “Equipped with a high-resolution multispectral imager, the satellite will collect vital imagery for a myriad of applications from agriculture to water quality monitoring.”

The Sentinel-2C satellite will enter low Earth orbit at around 780 km upon completion of its initial testing phase. If everything checks out, it will replace the Sentinel-2A and work alongside the Sentinel-2B. They will fly on identical routes 180 degrees apart, allowing all of Earth’s surfaces to be checked out within five days.

The Sentinel-2 family is the Copernicus program’s “color version,” delivering imagery in 13 spectral bands with high resolution. These fall between the visible to short-wave infrared range on the electromagnetic spectrum. Their data is used for observing changes in land use, soil sealing, land management, agriculture, forestry, natural disasters, and humanitarian missions.

Each satellite collects 1.5 terabytes of data per day. It is currently stored on a high-capacity Mass Memory and Formatting unit, with data recording and laser-enabled downlink occurring on the EDRS SpaceDataHighway.

FMI: www.euspa.europa.eu