05/09/2024
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The third Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite tv for pc television for laptop launched as we converse aboard the last word Vega rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Sentinel-2C will proceed providing high-resolution data that is necessary to Copernicus – Europe’s world predominant Earth commentary programme.
Sentinel-2C launched into orbit on 5 September at 03:50 CEST (4 September 22:50 native time) and separated from the Vega rocket at roughly 04:48 CEST.
Spherical 14 minutes later, at 05:02 CEST, ESA obtained the all-important signal indicating that the satellite tv for pc television for laptop was safely in orbit.
Constantin Mavrocordatos, Sentinel-2 Enterprise Supervisor at ESA, said, “I am overjoyed with the worthwhile launch of Sentinel-2C, a milestone that won’t have been doable with out the dedication and arduous work of our unbelievable group. Collectively, we’ve taken one different important step forward in advancing Earth commentary and supporting important functions that revenue our planet.”
ESA’s Director of Earth Assertion Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, commented, “We’re thrilled to rejoice the worthwhile launch of Sentinel-2C, a model new milestone throughout the well-established collaboration between ESA and the European Charge.
“This mission extra confirms the place of Copernicus as a primary programme to contribute to native climate change and environmental challenges worldwide, however moreover ensures the continuity of necessary data to help agriculture, forestry, maritime monitoring, and for lots of various sectors. Collectively, we’re solidifying Europe’s dedication to a sustainable future, empowering decision-makers with the devices they need to defend our planet.”
ESA’s Director of Home Transportation Toni Tolker-Nielsen, said, “Europe’s Vega rocket launched the sooner two Sentinel-2 satellites in 2015 and 2017, so this launch was a turning into farewell to a extremely worthwhile rocket.
“Teams are already preparing for the next Vega launch, the upgraded Vega-C by the highest of the yr. Proper now’s liftoff was Vega’s twentieth worthwhile launch in its 12 years of service, farewell Vega, prolonged dwell Vega-C!”
About Copernicus Sentinel-2
With Sentinel-2C now in orbit, it may possibly shortly change its predecessor, Sentinel-2A, following a brief interval of tandem observations. Sentinel-2D will lastly take over from Sentinel-2B. Later, it is deliberate that the Sentinel-2 Subsequent Expertise mission will then assure data continuity previous 2035.
The current Sentinel-2 satellites each carry a high-resolution multispectral imager that generates optical photos throughout the seen, near-infrared and shortwave-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. From their altitude of 786 km, they provide regular imagery in 13 spectral bands with resolutions of 10 m, 20 m and 60 m, with a giant swath width of 290 km.
Sentinel-2 data are presently getting used for a broad differ of functions, along with agriculture, water prime quality monitoring, pure disaster administration, along with wildfires, volcanic eruptions and floods. The mission has surpassed its genuine expectations, as an illustration, by demonstrating its capability in detecting methane emissions.
For agriculture, the mission helps to watch crop effectively being, predict yields and permit precision farming. Pictures are used to detect crop form, and to seek out out biophysical variables resembling leaf area index, leaf chlorophyll content material materials and leaf water content material materials to watch plant improvement and effectively being.
The Sentinel-2 mission is the outcomes of shut collaboration between ESA, the European Charge, enterprise, service suppliers and data clients.
ESA develops, builds, launches and operates the satellites in orbit, and downloads the scientific data.
Sentinel-2 data are freely accessible by the Copernicus Data Home Ecosystem, providing speedy entry to a wide range of data from every the Copernicus Sentinel missions and the Copernicus Contributing Missions.
The Sentinel-2 satellites have been designed and constructed by a consortium of spherical 60 corporations led by Airbus Defence and Home.
The Copernicus ingredient of the EU Home Programme is supported by a set of devoted satellites, typically referred to as the Sentinel family, and contributing missions (current industrial and public satellites). Looking for to the long term, six Sentinel Enlargement missions and 4 Subsequent Expertise Sentinels are being developed to take care of EU protection and gaps in Copernicus individual needs.
About Vega
Sentinel-2C was the ultimate liftoff for the Vega rocket – after 12 years of service this was the last word flight, the distinctive Vega is being retired to make methodology for an upgraded Vega-C.
Totally different missions launched by the small and nimble rocket over its lifetime are flagship ESA missions resembling know-how demonstrator Proba-V, wind monitoring satellite tv for pc television for laptop Aeolus, the reentry car IXV and LISA Pathfinder, a forerunner to LISA that may measure gravitational waves in space.
The Vega line ensures that Europe has a versatile, unbiased entry to space, complementing the Ariane family of rockets to launch satellites to any orbit – persevering with with Vega-C and the heavy-lift rocket Ariane 6.
