The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched the newest addition to its multi-billion-euro Copernicus program. The monitoring network aims to track pollution, deforestation, weather, and other changes on Earth's surface.
Image: ESA/Stephane Corvaja, 2017
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The Sentinel-2B satellite entered orbit on Tuesday after blasting off from ESA's launch site Kourou in French Guiana. Its twin, Sentinel-2A, was launched in 2015. Both of the satellites are a part of a fleet set up for ESA's Copernicus Earth Monitoring program, which is the world's largest environmental monitoring project, according to the agency.
The two orbiters are set to monitor the globe from the opposite sides of the planet and send out high-resolution color and infrared images of the surface. By doing so, the satellites will help scientists track changes in forest cover and water pollution. The tandem's data will provide "unprecedented" views of the Earth, ESA said on their website.
Sentinel-2B: What you need to know about ESA's new Satellite
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"The pair of Sentinel-2 satellites will cover the Earth's entire surface in five days," launch firm Arianespace said last week.
"This high frequency means they will capture brand-new views of the Earth, driving considerable progress in monitoring and predicting changes in vegetation and aquatic pollution."
In addition to Sentinels-2A and 2B, the Copernicus Earth monitoring project includes two other Sentinel satellites equipped with cloud penetrating radar. The twins are designed to spot a wide range of phenomena, such as iceberg movement, but can also monitor oil slicks and illegal logging.
ESA is planning to launch more devices to focus on ocean data and Earth's atmosphere, eventually bringing the number of satelites to seven. The Copernicus program will also be able to send out data on areas hit by natural disasters, helping emergency teams estimate the damage and find operational lines, roads and bridges.
The amazing things Sentinel satellites see
So far the EU's Copernicus program has sent three Sentinel satellites to observe Earth - 1A, 2A and 3A. But they're just the first halves. Enter Sentinel-1B, and the first mission becomes whole.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
From the French Riviera
It may be among the strangest places on Earth, but this is where a lot of the European Union's Sentinel satellite equipment is being built for the Copernicus Earth Observation program. In Cannes, Thales Alenia Space is responsible for the Sentinel-1 satellites and a few of the others, too. The contractors include Airbus and many more. Sentinel-1B launches this week, making the first mission whole.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
The story so far
Sentinel-1A was the first to launch on April 3, 2014. Since then, two have followed - Sentinel-2A on June 23, 2015 and Sentinel-3A on February 16, 2016. This shot from Sentinel-3A is one of its earliest. It shows the River Nile and Delta and parts of the Middle East. Using a sea and land surface temperature radiometer (SLSTR), the satellite measures the energy radiating from Earth's surface.
Image: ESA/modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016
In spectacular true color
This incredibly sharp image shows Red Sea coral reefs off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It was captured by Sentinel-2A on June 28, 2015. The quality of the Sentinel images is a vast improvement on previous satellite missions, such as Envisat. The Sentinel-2 mission is for land monitoring. It provides images of vegetation, soil and water cover, inland waterways and coastal areas.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
In spectacular false color
This false color image of south Khartoum in Sudan was one of the first from Sentinel-2A, captured five days after it arrived in orbit. In the top right corner you can see a bit of the Blue Nile River. The scattered red blotches along the river banks indicate dense vegetation, which is one of the things the satellite monitors. It's a false color image, as color was added to aid interpretation.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
Harbor under threat
This is another great shot from Sentinel-2A, showing Sierra Leone in West Africa. The country's capital, Freetown, is on the peninsula at the bottom of the image. Its economy depends on the natural deep water harbor. But ESA says the estuary is "threatened by a growing population [and] unauthorized housing development," which has caused the removal of many hectares of mangrove vegetation.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
The 'Yuma checkerboard'
Many of the Sentinel images are like works of art. You don't really have to know what's going on to appreciate them. But scientists, policymakers and authorities charged with national security rely on satellite imagery. And given the tools and skills, normal folk can benefit too. The Copernicus program is driven by a principle of Open Data. This shows Yuma in southwestern Arizona.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
Tracking change in the Aral Sea
This is the Aral Sea as captured by Sentinel-1A. It's a composite of three radar scans taken between 2014 and 2015. ESA says the Aral Sea is a "striking example of humankind's impact on the environment and natural resources. [...] It has lost around 90 percent of its water volume since 1960 because of Soviet-era irrigation schemes." The different colors show the changes between the scans.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2014/2015
Meanwhile, Back in Berlin…
Captured by Sentinel-2A, this image shows a vibrant Berlin, the German capital, in exquisite detail. It shows how green the city is, with the Tegeler See and Wannsee on the western side. There's also the former airport, the Tempelhofer Feld, in the lower center of the image, which in summer blooms with people, kites and bikes. All these images can be seen in full: www.esa.int/spaceimages/Images
