Sentinel-2A, part of the EU’s Copernicus programme, will provide unprecedented images of Earth
Sentinel-2A, the first optical imaging satellite in Europe’s Copernicus environmental surveillance programme, is set for launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana at 01:51 GMT on 23rd of June (03:51 CEST; 22:51 local time) aboard a Vega rocket.
The EU’s Copernicus programme will provide accurate, timely and easily accessible information, to inform environmental management, increase understanding of, and help to mitigate, the effects of climate change and to protect civil security.
The Sentinel mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B, to be launched separately. Once launched, both satellites will cover all land surfaces, large islands, inland and coastal waters every five days, optimising global coverage and data delivery, for numerous applications.
The mission carries a high-resolution multispectral camera with 13 spectral bands, which the European Space Agency says will provide a new perspective of land and vegetation. The combination of high resolution, novel spectral capabilities, a field of vision covering 290 kilomtres and frequent revisit times, will provide unprecedented views of Earth, the Agency says.
Amongst its applications, the mission will provide information on agricultural practices, helping in the management of food security. It will also be used to map changes in land cover and to monitor the world’s forests.
In addition, Sentinel will provide information on pollution in lakes and coastal waters, while images of floods, volcanic eruptions and landslides will contribute to disaster mapping and help humanitarian relief efforts.
Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 are equipped to benefit from another ESA programme, the European Data Relay System (EDRS), which is creating a network for the continuous relay of low-orbit satellite data. This will enable the Sentinel’s Earth observation data to be transmitted faster than ever, using laser links.
In supplying colour vision for Copernicus, Sentinel-2A will complement the all-weather, day-and-night radar imagery provided by the first in the Sentinel fleet, Sentinel-1A, launched on 3 April 2014.
In the year Sentinel-1A has been in service, more than 6,000 users have registered to access some 83,000 different online data products, and over half a million downloads – the equivalent of some 680 terabytes of data - have been recorded.
Sentinel-2A is a collaboration between ESA, the European Commission, industry, service providers and data users. It was designed and built by a consortium of 42 companies led by Airbus Defence and Space. Sentinel-2B is scheduled for launch in mid-2016.
The EU’s Copernicus programme will provide accurate, timely and easily accessible information, to inform environmental management, increase understanding of, and help to mitigate, the effects of climate change and to protect civil security.
The Sentinel mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B, to be launched separately. Once launched, both satellites will cover all land surfaces, large islands, inland and coastal waters every five days, optimising global coverage and data delivery, for numerous applications.
The mission carries a high-resolution multispectral camera with 13 spectral bands, which the European Space Agency says will provide a new perspective of land and vegetation. The combination of high resolution, novel spectral capabilities, a field of vision covering 290 kilomtres and frequent revisit times, will provide unprecedented views of Earth, the Agency says.
Amongst its applications, the mission will provide information on agricultural practices, helping in the management of food security. It will also be used to map changes in land cover and to monitor the world’s forests.
In addition, Sentinel will provide information on pollution in lakes and coastal waters, while images of floods, volcanic eruptions and landslides will contribute to disaster mapping and help humanitarian relief efforts.
Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 are equipped to benefit from another ESA programme, the European Data Relay System (EDRS), which is creating a network for the continuous relay of low-orbit satellite data. This will enable the Sentinel’s Earth observation data to be transmitted faster than ever, using laser links.
In supplying colour vision for Copernicus, Sentinel-2A will complement the all-weather, day-and-night radar imagery provided by the first in the Sentinel fleet, Sentinel-1A, launched on 3 April 2014.
In the year Sentinel-1A has been in service, more than 6,000 users have registered to access some 83,000 different online data products, and over half a million downloads – the equivalent of some 680 terabytes of data - have been recorded.
Sentinel-2A is a collaboration between ESA, the European Commission, industry, service providers and data users. It was designed and built by a consortium of 42 companies led by Airbus Defence and Space. Sentinel-2B is scheduled for launch in mid-2016.
Receive the Funding Newswire each Tuesday, our Policy Bulletin each Thursday, and news about bridging Europe’s east-west innovation gap twice a month in The Widening. 
A unique international forum for public research organisations and companies to connect their external engagement with strategic interests around their R&D system.
