Launches Secured from Arianespace for Five Sentinel Satellites
A contract between ESA and Arianespace has finalized rides into orbit for five Copernicus Sentinel satellites: Sentinel-1D, Sentinel-2C, Sentinel-3C, and the Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide-A and -B s. All the Sentinel satellites will be launched on Vega-C rockets from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana and are scheduled to take place between 2024 and 2026.
“This new contract to launch five Copernicus Sentinel satellites on the new Vega-C rockets is an important step in not only ensuring continuity of the Sentinel-1, -2, and -3 missions and the data they provide for applications and science, but also for the new CO2M mission."
Simonetta Cheli, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programs.
The contract not only marks an important milestone in the continuity of the Sentinel missions and the European Union’s Copernicus programme, but also Europe’s autonomous access to space. It follows the European Union’s Framework Contract for Launch Services with Arianespace, signed on 29 November 2022.
ESA signed this most recent contract with Arianespace in the name of and on behalf of the European Union, represented by the European Commission.
Copernicus is the largest provider of Earth observation data in the world – and key to the success of the program is the suite of Sentinel satellite missions developed by ESA.
“This new contract to launch five Copernicus Sentinel satellites on the new Vega-C rockets is an important step in not only ensuring continuity of the Sentinel-1, -2, and -3 missions and the data they provide for applications and science, but also for the new CO2M mission," said Simonetta Cheli, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programs.
Sentinel Satellites will be Tasked with Multiple Missions
The first three missions were each designed to operate as a pair of identical Sentinel satellites, orbiting 180 degrees apart for optimal repeat observations of the planet and data delivery. Each mission carries different instruments to deliver a wealth of data to feed a range of environmental services offered through the Copernicus program, which helps address some of today’s toughest environmental challenges such as food security, rising sea levels, diminishing ice, natural disasters, and the overarching issue of the climate crisis.
To ensure continuity of data, the Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 missions were each conceived as four-satellite missions; first the A and B satellites working in tandem and subsequently replaced by the C and D satellites.
Copernicus Sentinel-1A has been in orbit since 2014, followed by Sentinel-1B which was launched in 2016. However, Sentinel-1B came to an end this year owing to a technical issue so will be replaced by Sentinel-1C, which will be launched in the first half of 2023 on a Vega-C rocket.
This new contract covers the launch of Sentinel-1D in the second half of 2024. Carrying advanced radar technology to provide an all-weather, day-and-night supply of imagery of Earth’s surface, the Sentinel-1 mission delivers essential data to monitor sea ice, track icebergs and glaciers, subsidence, oil spills and much more.
The contract also covers the launch of Sentinel-2C in mid-2024.
ESA is also developing six Copernicus Sentinel Expansion missions to address European Union policies and gaps in Copernicus user needs, expanding the current capabilities of the Copernicus program.
The contract also includes the launch of the first Copernicus Sentinel Expansion mission: the Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring (CO2M) mission (pictured). The CO2M satellites will each carry a near-infrared and shortwave-infrared spectrometer to measure atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by human activity.
This will provide a unique and independent source of information to assess the effectiveness of policy measures, and to track their impact towards decarbonizing Europe and meeting national emission reduction targets. CO2M-A and CO2M-B are scheduled to be launched in 2025–2026.
The precise launch periods for the five Sentinel satellites will be reviewed by Arianespace, ESA and the European Commission, based on the Arianespace launch manifest and the priorities for the Copernicus Program.
(Source: ESA news release. Images provided)