Program: Sentinel

Renamed Copernicus in 2013.


European program for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security system (GMES). It will be complemented by European radar and electro-optical imaging satellites already in orbit or currently in development. 5 satellites are planned.

Sentinel 1 is an all-weather, day-and-night radar imaging satellite mission for land and ocean services (mapping of urban areas and environmental impacts, monitoring of land surface motion risks, surveillance of marine environment, maritime security, monitoring of sea-ice zones, monitoring of forest and climate change.). Will replace ERS.

Sentinel 2 is a high-resolution optical imaging mission for land services. Contract with Astrium signed in Apr 2008 for EUR 195 million. The second satellite was ordered in April 2010 for EUR 105 million.

Sentinel-3 is for a global ocean and land monitoring mission which includes an altimetry instrument package (devoted to oceanography and land-vegetation monitoring). Planned in 2015. Contract with Thales Alenia Space was signed in Apr 2008 for EUR 305 million.

EU granted finance for the first 3 satellites in early 2008, worth EUR 624 million. In Dec 2013, a 3.79 billion EUR budget was allocated for 2014-2020, replacing the GMES program.

Sentinel-4 and 5 will be dedicated to meteorology and climatology through atmospheric chemistry. Sentinel 5 will be onboard a Metop Second Generation satellite in 2021.

In Jan 2009, an additional agreement added EUR 205 million contribution for segment 2.

In Dec 2009 Sentinel 1B & 3B were ordered for EUR 270 million. They are the duplicate of Sentinel 1A & 3A.

TT&C in S-band, date in X-band

In early 2011, the European Data Relay System (EDRS) contract was signed to provide 2 satellites services from Astrium Services to support Sentinel traffic. The European Commission will invest EUR 280 million, Astrium EUR 100 million. Other customers will be able to use the payload.

In late-2011, Astrium UK was awarded a EUR 45.5 million contract to build a low cost satellite to monitor atmospheric chemistry named Sentinel 5 Precursor (S5p). Planned for launch in 2015. Will carry the TROPOMI instrument (will take measurements of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and other atmospheric pollutants).

In late-2015 TAS Italy signed a 402 million EUR contract to build Sentinel 1C and 1D. Will use the Prima platform, approx 2300 kg at launch. Resolution between 5 and 25m.

In Jan 2016, Airbus DS signed a 285 million EUR contract for 2 new Sentinel-2 optical satellites (2C 2D).

In 2018 the service started using EDRS as relay, with speeds upto 1.8 Gbps

In 2020, 6 satellites projects were disclosed and moved to the design phase:

* The Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring, CO2M, mission will carry a near-infrared and shortwave-infrared spectrometer to measure atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by human activity. OHB-System Germany will lead the development with a contract value of EUR 445 million. Two satellites planned, TAS to develop the payloads.

* The Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission, CHIME, will carry a hyperspectral imager to return detailed information for sustainable agricultural and biodiversity management. Thales Alenia Space France will lead the development with a contract value of EUR 455 million.

* The Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer, CIMR, mission will carry a microwave radiometer to provide observations of sea-surface temperature, sea-ice concentration and sea-surface salinity. Thales Alenia Space Italy will lead the development with a contract value of EUR 495 million. TAS Italy will be prime contractor. there will b e upto 3 satellites in LEO SSO.

* The Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter, CRISTAL, mission will carry a multi-frequency radar altimeter and microwave radiometer to measure and monitor sea-ice thickness and overlying snow depth. Airbus Defence and Space Germany will lead the development with a contract value of EUR 300 million.

* The Copernicus Land Surface Temperature Monitoring, LSTM, mission will carry a high spatial-temporal resolution thermal infrared sensor to provide observations of land-surface temperature for sustainable agriculture and to predict drought. Airbus Defence and Space Spain will lead the development with a contract value of EUR 375 million. ADS will be the prime contractor. LEO polar orbit.

* The L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar, ROSE-L, mission will carry an L-band synthetic radar altimeter that penetrates through materials such as vegetation, to support forest management and to monitor subsidence and soil moisture. Thales Alenia Space Italy will lead the development with a contract value of EUR 482 million. Based on the MILA platform. Should be approx 2060 kg at launch in July 2027.

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External resources

http://copernicus.eu/

http://www.gmes.info/

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