09/10/2024
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The Sentinel-1C satellite tv for pc, the third satellite tv for pc of the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, has arrived on the European spaceport in French Guiana for liftoff on the Vega-C rocket on the finish of 2024. The satellite tv for pc will proceed the important activity of delivering key radar imagery of Earth’s floor for a variety of Copernicus providers and scientific functions.
Following its journey from Cannes, France, by way of Turin, Italy, Sentinel-1C has safely landed in Kourou, French Guiana, after being transported on an Antonov plane. It is going to now bear a sequence of launch preparation actions to make sure it’s prepared for liftoff.
Ramón Torres, Sentinel-1 Challenge Supervisor at ESA, commented, “Launching on the Vega-C return to flight is definitely a formidable problem, however due to the extraordinary effort and meticulous planning by AVIO and Arianespace, the Sentinel-1 group is crammed with confidence.
“The group is guaranteeing that no stone has been left unturned to make sure that this extraordinary satellite tv for pc is launched with the utmost security and precision. The group eagerly awaits the second when their exhausting work and dedication culminate in a flawless launch, marking one other milestone for the Copernicus programme.”
Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Statement Programmes at ESA, added, “The Sentinel-1 mission highlights the sturdy partnership between ESA and the European Fee to offer important radar knowledge that Europe depends on. With Sentinel-1C now in French Guiana, we’re furthering the necessary work of Copernicus.”
The Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission gives all-weather, day-and-night radar imagery for the worldwide monitoring of Earth’s land and oceans – supporting environmental administration, catastrophe response and local weather change analysis.
The Sentinel-1 mission, the primary within the household of Copernicus, is predicated on a constellation of two similar satellites flying in the identical orbit however 180° aside, to optimise international protection and knowledge supply for Copernicus, the Earth remark part of the European Union’s Area Programme, managed by the European Fee.
Sentinel-1A was the primary satellite tv for pc within the sequence, launched in April 2014, adopted by the launch of Sentinel-1B in 2016. The Sentinel-1B mission got here to an finish in December 2022 after experiencing a technical fault that rendered it unable to accumulate knowledge. The satellite tv for pc has been efficiently de-orbited and can re-enter Earth’s environment inside 25 years.
Sentinel-1C will quickly take over the position of Sentinel-1B within the mission.
Radar imaginative and prescient for Copernicus
As a sophisticated radar mission, Copernicus Sentinel-1 can picture the floor of Earth via cloud and rain and no matter whether or not it’s day or night time.
Sentinel-1 carries a C-band artificial aperture radar (SAR) instrument, which permits it to seize high-resolution imagery of Earth’s floor. This highly effective radar system operates in a number of modes, together with large swath and high-resolution, offering detailed knowledge on land subsidence, ice actions and ocean circumstances.
The SAR instrument is especially efficient for catastrophe response, reminiscent of monitoring floods, landslides and oil spills, providing well timed and correct info to assist humanitarian and environmental efforts.
The brand new Sentinel-1C satellite tv for pc may even carry a brand new Automated Identification System (AIS). Developed by the Worldwide Maritime Organisation, this technique is designed to assist ships keep away from collisions, significantly when they’re too removed from land-based radar techniques. This expertise assigns a singular ID to every vessel and tracks its place and actions in real-time, making a digital map of the ships at sea.
By combining radar pictures from satellites with AIS alerts, knowledge customers can rapidly detect and determine vessels in a big space of the ocean without delay in real-time. This can be a distinctive software not solely to trace the motion of every ship, displaying its ID, course and pace, but additionally detect piracy actions – important for worldwide organisations and corporations monitoring international transport site visitors.
