Copernicus Sentinel-2C Earth Observation Satellite built by Airbus (photo courtesy of Airbus)
Copernicus Sentinel-2C Earth Observation Satellite built by Airbus (photo courtesy of Airbus)
The third Copernicus Sentinel-2 Earth Observation Satellite, built by Airbus, was launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana aboard Arianespace’ Vega rocket on September 5th, 2024. The satellite will provide high-resolution data that is essential to Copernicus, Europe’s world leading Earth observation program. The mission supports services and applications such as agricultural monitoring, emergencies management, land cover classification, and water quality.
Like its siblings, Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B, the satellite carries a multispectral imager that takes high-resolution images of Earth’s land, islands, and inland and coastal waters from its orbital altitude of 786 km. With a large swath width of 290km, it provides continuous imagery in thirteen spectral bands with resolutions of 10m, 20m and 60m.
Less than two weeks after being launched into orbit, the Copernicus Sentinel-2C Earth Observation Satellite has delivered its first images. These spectacular views of Earth offer a sneak peek at the data that this new satellite will provide for Copernicus, Europe’s world-leading Earth observation program. The satellite acquired a rich initial set of images across the globe, which were processed by the Copernicus Ground Segment. One of the first images features a clear view of Seville and surroundings in southern Spain. Seville, the capital of Andalusia, lies on the Guadalquivir River, one of the longest rivers in Spain. Seville holds the Presidency of the Ariane 2024 Community of Cities, and is home to the headquarters of the Spanish Space Agency.