Sentinel-3A’s preparation is finished and the satellite will soon be shipped to the Russian Cosmodrome of Plesetsk, in Northern Russia for its launch on top of a Rockot planned end of this year. Carrying a suite of state-of-the-art instruments, Sentinel-3 is set to play a key role in Copernicus, the world’s largest environmental monitoring programme operated by the European Commission. It will provide highly accurate measurements on Earth’s oceans, land, ice and atmosphere.
Tag: Earth Observation Satellite (Satellite Type)
-
Safe at sea with satellites
At sea, space technology is used to help save lives every day: managing traffic between ships, picking up migrants and refugees in distress or spotting oil spills. The European Space Agency is once again at the forefront developing new technologies and satellites: to keep us safe at sea and to monitor the environment. Space makes a difference here on Earth and certainly at sea where there is no infrastructure.
-
Sentinel-2: an introduction
An introduction to the Sentinel-2 mission for Europe’s Copernicus programme and some of its benefits for the planet’s ever-growing population, such as deforestation monitoring, food security and the sustainable management of natural resources.
Credits: ESA
-
Copernicus: Sentinel services
On 23 June 2015 at 01:52 GMT (03:52 CEST 23 June; 22:52 local time 22 June) Sentinel-2A will launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on top of a Vega.
This satellite will be the second Sentinel for the Copernicus Programme. Copernicus is the most ambitious Earth observation programme to date. It will provide accurate, timely and easily accessible information to improve the management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure civil security.
This initiative is headed by the European Commission (EC) in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA coordinates the delivery of data and is developing a new family of satellites, the Sentinels, specifically for the operational needs of Copernicus. The EC, acting on behalf of the European Union, is responsible for the overall initiative, setting requirements and managing the services. These services fall into six main categories: land management, the marine environment, atmosphere, emergency response, security and climate change.
This video shows a good example of these services with GeoVille, based in Austria, which is playing a key role in Copernicus services for land applications, related to both land cover production as well as downstream services in the spatial planning domain.
-
ESA Euronews: A satellite revolution in oceanography
Plymouth is one of England’s historic port cities, a place from which sailors, soldiers and scientists have set off to sea for centuries. Today there’s a new twist to the tale though, as oceanographers now have a huge fleet of satellites in space to add to their list of high quality data sources in order to study and understand our seas.
The field of satellite ocean observation is due to get a boost later this year as ESA’s Sentinel-3 will join the fleet of Earth observers already in orbit. It’s part of Europe’s Copernicus programme, and heralds a new era in ocean observation by offering an uninterrupted flow of data from its speedy polar orbit, now and well into the future.
This video is also available in the following languages:
Spanish: https://youtu.be/zeIcm9wKUzg
French: https://youtu.be/dw5pYO04xJA
German: https://youtu.be/K1BCdQMT24Q
Portuguese: https://youtu.be/xmUbJ0ckaZI
Italian: https://youtu.be/TGY5LY63xKA
Hungarian: https://youtu.be/BbQzTVDhWBI
Greek: https://youtu.be/n_hCQeTqieA -
ESA Euronews: Műholdakkal az óceánkutatásért
Az Európai Űrügynökség hamarosan felbocsátja a Sentinel-3 műholdat, amelynek egyik fő feladata az lesz, hogy az óceánokról gyűjtsön adatokat.
Régóta tudjuk hogy az óceánok alapvető fontosságúak a földi élet szempontjából, és ezek szabályozzák az időkárást és a klímát. De most a műholdak segítségével ezt globális léptékben figyelhetjük meg. Egy műhold egy nap alatt annyi adatot szolgáltat az óceánokról, mint egy hajó egy év alatt. Ezeket az ismereteket azonban össze kell vetni a felszínen végzett mérésekkel.
Hogyan is történik mindez: például az űrből megfigyelhető az óceán színe, ami következtetni enged a fitoplankton, egy apró algaféle mennyiségére. Ezek az apró jószágok bocsátják ki a Föld oxigéntermelésének felét, ezek a tengeri ökoszisztéma alapvető építőkockái, ugyanakkor jelzőrendszerként is funkcionálnak, mert nagyon érzékenyen reagálnak a környezet változásaira. Ugyanakkor csak mintavétellel lehet megmondani, hogy mi is az, amit a műhold a a földkörüli pályáról lát.
Ezeknek a kutatásoknak köszönhetően tudjuk, hogyan változik a vízsszint, az óceánok hőmérséklete, az élővilág állapota: ha kellő mennyiségű adat gyűlik össze, abból sokkal inkább megérthetjük a Föld klimatikus viszonyait és folyamatait, mint bármi másból.
-
Earth from Space: Special edition
In this special edition, Sentinel-2 Project Manager François Spoto and System Engineering and Operations Manager Omar Sy join the show to tell us more about the Sentinel-2A satellite and its mission at IABG in Munich, Germany.
More about Sentinel-2:
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-2 -
Sentinel-1A separation in space
This superb footage was acquired by cameras on the Soyuz Fregat upper stage that released Sentinel-1A into orbit on 3 April 2014. It shows the Sentinel-1A satellite separating from the Fregat to start its life in orbit around Earth.
The 2.3 tonne satellite lifted off on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 21:02 GMT (23:02 CEST). The first stage separated 118 sec later, followed by the fairing (209 sec), stage 2 (287 sec) and the upper assembly (526 sec). After a 617 sec burn, the Fregat upper stage delivered Sentinel into a Sun-synchronous orbit at 693 km altitude. The satellite separated from the upper stage 23 min 24 sec after liftoff.
Sentinel-1 is the first in the family of satellites for Europe’s Copernicus programme. It carries an advanced radar to scan Earth’s surface in all weather conditions and regardless of whether it is day or night. This new mission will be used to care for many aspects of our environment, from detecting and tracking oil spills and mapping sea ice to monitoring movement in land surfaces and mapping changes in the way land is used.
Credits:
Arianespace/ESA/Roscosmos -
Sentinel-1 soundtrack
Sentinel-1A, the first satellite for Europe’s environmental monitoring Copernicus programme, is being launched from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 3 April 2014. It will be lofted into orbit on a Soyuz rocket.
This animation shows some of the critical stages delivering Sentinel-1 into orbit around Earth. After separating from the Fregat upper stage, the satellite takes around 10 hours to deploy its 12 m-long radar and two 10 m-long solar wings. This deployment sequence is unique, choreographed to ensure that both deploy in the safest possible way. This approach also allows power from the wings to be available as soon as possible so that the satellite is independent.
Delivering vital information for numerous operational services, from monitoring ice in the polar oceans to tracking land subsidence, Sentinel-1 will play a key role in the largest civil Earth-observation programme ever conceived.
The animation is set to a track called Sentinel by Mike Oldfield, a world-renowned musician and big space fan.
Credits:
Graphics: ESA/ATG medialab; Music written by M. Oldfield/copyright EMI Virgin -
Why we need radar satellites
The launch of the first Sentinel-1 satellite marks a new paradigm in Earth observation focusing on operational missions to support users for decades to come. This first satellite for Europe’s environmental monitoring Copernicus programme carries an advanced radar to image Earth’s surface no matter what the weather or if it is day or night. Olaf Trieschmann from the European Maritime Safety Agency talks about the need for radar satellites and how data from Sentinel-1 will be used to monitor oil spills and for maritime surveillance. ESA’s Josef Aschbacher talks about how the wide range of services offered through Copernicus will make a step change in the way we manage the environment.
Credit: ESA/EMSA/European Parliament/DLR/ATG medialab/Funnelweb
-
Sentinel-1: Radar mission
In early April, Sentinel-1A will be launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on a Soyuz launcher. The radar mission is the first of the Copernicus programme, providing an all-weather, day-and-night supply of imagery for Copernicus user services.
-
Copernicus Monitoring the Earth
Accurate information about the environmental is crucial. It helps to understand how our planet and climate are changing, the role human activity play in these changes and how this affects our daily lives. Responding to these challenges, the EU and ESA have developed an Earth observation programme called Copernicus, formerly known as Global Monitoring for Environment and Security, – a programme that becomes operational with the launch of Sentinel-1A.
-
ESA Euronews: Copernicus offers a flood of disaster data
The recent floods in the UK saw a lot of the management of that disaster made possible by using information from satellites. But how? In this edition of Space we find out.
Flooding affects thousands of people every year across Europe, and this year one of them just happened to be a flood scientist – Spanish Research Fellow at Reading University in England, Javier García-Pintado.
His back garden looks onto the Thames, he explains: “This is the bank of the Thames, and this areas was severely affected by the recent flooding. Specifically in this little bit of land we are a tiny bit higher, and we didn’t have any problems, but our neighbours around here certainly did.”
García-Pintado knew his young family was safe at home, because he could count on his expert knowledge; his day job is using satellite data to improve flood models.
“As hydrologists we were pretty confident that this property wouldn’t have a problem, and we told our neighbours,” he told euronews.
Not everyone has a neighbour as knowledgeable as Javier, nor were they as lucky.
The whole area west of London was affected as England and Wales lived through their wettest winter in almost 250 years.
-
Mike Oldfield sends greeting to ESA and the Sentinel team
World-renowned musician Mike Oldfield, composer of the music used in ESA’s Sentinel-1 video, is a big space fan. From his home, Mike and his two sons (the future generation of space scientists and explorers) sent this message to ESA and the Sentinel-1 team with best wishes for the upcoming launch.
Sentinel-1 is an important mission, its launch will mark a new shift in Earth observation, focusing on operational missions to support users for decades to come. This first mission carries an advanced radar sensor to image Earth’s surface through cloud and rain and regardless of whether it is day or night.
Video copyright: ESA/M. Oldfield
Sentinel written by M. Oldfield
Graphics: ESA/ATG medialab
Music: copyright EMI Virgin -
Swarm: Understanding our life saver
Earth’s magnetic field is our life saver, protecting us from the energetic solar wind. The Swarm satellites will measure Earth’s magnetic field to allow us to understand it for a safer future.