Sentinel-2

Sentinel-2 is a satellite mission under the Copernicus program by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission. It consists of 2 optical imaging satellites. This advanced satellite mission provides crucial insights into our planet, aiding in environmental monitoring, climate change assessment, agriculture management, and more.

Schematic View of the Deployed SENTINEL-2 Spacecraft

1. Mission Objectives and Applications

  • Sentinel-2’s primary objective is to provide multispectral Earth imagery from space.
  • Two identical satellites are employed, ensuring a continuous stream of data.
  • Sentinel-2 is part of the GMES program, jointly run by the European Commission (EC) and European Space Agency (ESA), for global land observation.

2. Technical Specifications

  • Sentinel-2 satellites are equipped with advanced multispectral cameras operating in various spectral bands.
  • Spatial resolution ranges from 10 to 60 meters with 13 bands – 3 visible bands with 10 m resolution, 1 visible band with 60 m resolution, 3 NIR bands with 20 m resolution, 6 SWIR bands with 60 m resolution.
  • Sentinel-2A was launched on the 23rd of June 2015 at French Guiana and Sentinel-2B was launched in March 2017 at French Guiana.
  • The approximate date of mission completion is 2038.
  • To meet the goal of frequent revisits and high mission availability, there’s a need for two satellites in space simultaneously, each with a 290 km wide swath using a single imaging instrument
  • Sentinel-2A and 2B will be replaced by Sentinel-2C and 2D in 2024 and 2025 due to their seven-year design life.

3. Observation Frequency

  • Those 2 operational satellites are used to reduce revisit time from 10 to 5 days, surpassing the revisit times of Landsat-7 and SPOT.

4. Open Access Data

  • Sentinel-2 data is openly accessible to the public, researchers, and governmental agencies.
  • This encourages collaboration and innovation in various fields.

5. Examples of Satellite Imagery

Huge Pipeline Fire in Flagstaff Arizona. The fire started on June 12th 2022 in the morning – view on the map.

Gosses Bluff – one of the most known Australian impact craters with around 22 kilometers in diameter and 5 kilometers deep – view on the map.

Colorful area near Bari – second biggest city in southern Italy – view on the map. Beautiful view of the British Virgin Islands on the North Atlantic Ocean – view on the map.

Beautiful view of the British Virgin Islands on the North Atlantic Ocean – view on the map.

 

Turów Coal Mine in Poland with visible effects of mining operations – view on the map.

6. API access

With our API docs, you can search data, track satellite passes, and more using Sentinel-2 data. To use it, you’ll need an automatically generated key from your account at https://app.spectator.earth, found in your profile panel. For even more requests for the API you can check out our paid subscription.

 

References:

https://www.eoportal.org/satellite-missions/copernicus-sentinel-2

https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/web/sentinel/missions/sentinel-2/satellite-description

Additional links:

https://api.spectator.earth

https://app.spectator.earth

https://app.spectator.earth/acquisition-plan

https://spectator.earth/list-of-recent-observations/

https://spectator.earth/faq/