Sentinel-3C returns its first views of Earth - SPACE & DEFENSE

The European Space Agency (ESA) says the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite has returned its first images and measurements from two of its key instruments, about two weeks after launch.

According to ESA, the initial data set includes images of Italy, the Arctic and parts of the Caribbean captured by the satellite’s ocean and land colour instrument, along with measurements of the Greenland ice sheet height and sea-surface height from its synthetic aperture radar altimeter.

Sentinel-3C is the third satellite in the Sentinel-3 series, part of the EU’s Copernicus Earth observation programme. ESA said the Sentinel-3 satellites are designed to provide long-term, systematic measurements of Earth’s oceans, land, cryosphere and atmosphere, supporting a range of environmental monitoring and operational applications.

Over oceans, ESA said Sentinel-3 measures sea-surface temperature, colour and height, as well as sea-ice thickness. ESA linked these measurements to uses including monitoring marine pollution and marine heatwaves.

Over land, ESA said the mission supports monitoring of drought and wildfires, mapping land use, assessing vegetation health, and measuring the height of rivers, lakes and polar ice sheets.

ESA said Sentinel-3 data are also used to provide near-real-time parameters for weather forecasting and to monitor long-term climate change trends.

The agency said Sentinel-3C is still being commissioned, a process expected to take a further five months. It added that the early acquisitions provide an initial confirmation of the satellite’s performance and are a step towards operational service once commissioning is complete.

ESA said Sentinel-3 is part of Copernicus, the Earth observation component of the EU’s Space programme. For Sentinel-3, ESA is responsible for developing and implementing the satellites and conducting operations through commissioning. After commissioning, ESA and Eumetsat jointly manage the mission, with Eumetsat handling routine satellite operations and the delivery of marine and atmospheric data, and ESA delivering land, cryosphere, inland water and offline atmospheric products.