Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




TECH SPACE
Last look at Sentinel-2A
by Staff Writers
Paris (ESA) Feb 25, 2015


Sentinel-2A fully integrated at IABG's facilities in Ottobrunn, Germany on 24 February 2015, before being packed up and shipped to French Guiana for launch. Offering 'colour vision' for Europe's environmental monitoring Copernicus programme, Sentinel-2A combines high-resolution and novel multispectral capabilities - a first for ESA. With a 290 km-wide coverage path and frequent revisits, Sentinel-2 will deliver views of Earth's changing lands in unprecedented detail and accuracy. Information from this latest mission will help to improve agricultural practices, monitor the world's forest, detect pollution in lakes and coastal waters, contribute to disaster mapping and much more. Sentinel-2 will be launched in June on a Vega rocket from the CSG, Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Image courtesy ESA-S. Corvaja, 2015.

Before Sentinel-2A is packed up and shipped to French Guiana for its launch targeted on 12 June, media representatives and specialists got one last look at the second satellite for Europe's Copernicus programme.

At an event held at IABG in Munich - where the satellite has been undergoing testing since September of last year - project managers provided an update on the status of the satellite.

"I have a smile in my eyes because we are very close to finishing all the tests of Sentinel-2A," said Michael Menking from Airbus Defence and Space, the prime contractor leading the industrial consortium that built the satellite.

"All tests have proven that the satellite is doing what it was built to do. We are very close to preparing it for shipment - only two more tests remain."

Offering 'colour vision' for Europe's environmental monitoring Copernicus programme, Sentinel-2A combines high-resolution and novel multispectral capabilities - a first for ESA. With a 290 km-wide coverage path and frequent revisits, Sentinel-2 will deliver views of Earth's changing lands in unprecedented detail and accuracy.

Information from this latest mission will help to improve agricultural practices, monitor the world's forest, detect pollution in lakes and coastal waters, contribute to disaster mapping and much more.

"Sentinel-2 is relevant for key societal challenges, like food security for a growing population and climate change," said Volker Liebig, Director of ESA's Earth Observation programmes.

Touching on the variety of the Copernicus services that will be supported by the Sentinels, Reinhard Schulte-Braucks from the European Commission paid particular attention to the applications in the area of health.

"We have been able to support anti-malaria measures in Africa, and hope to do this even better with Sentinel-2 data," said Mr Schulte-Braucks.

He went on to provide examples of how the satellite will provide information on the environmental factors that affect the number and breeding cycle of mosquitoes, leading to improved forecasting for areas at risk of malaria.

Markus Probeck from the German geo-information technology consultancy GAF-AG highlighted the improved coverage of Sentinel-2 - especially useful over the tropical rainforests where cloud cover is persistent. Land service monitoring, such as settlement expansion and crop yield predictions, will also benefit as frequent updates are needed.

"In previous projects, it took me seven years to get full, relatively cloud-free coverage of Gabon," he said. "But with Sentinel-2, we would expect to get a cloud-free coverage within one or two years - maybe faster."

Sentinel-2A still needs to undergo final validation tests before the Qualification and Acceptance Review Board authorises its shipment to Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, scheduled for 19 April. The target launch date is 12 June.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
ESA Copernicus
Space Technology News - Applications and Research






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





TECH SPACE
OHB and AAC develop InnoSat platform
Uppsala, Sweden (SPX) Feb 20, 2015
OHB Sweden, Stockholm, and AAC Microtec, Uppsala, have been appointed by the Swedish National Space Board (SNSB) to deliver a highly capable small satellite platform, named InnoSat, and to accomplish the advanced scientific mission named MATS (Mesospheric Airglow/Aerosol Tomography and Spectroscopy). The two companies' extensive expertise, innovative products and efficient work approaches ... read more


TECH SPACE
Application of laser microprobe technology to Apollo samples refines lunar impact history

NASA releases video of the far side of the Moon

US Issuing Licenses for Mineral Mining on Moon

LRO finds lunar hydrogen more abundant on Moon's pole-facing slopes

TECH SPACE
Opportunity Gets Small Energy Boost With Panel Dust Off

Surviving Mars on Earth

Latest Drive Puts Rover Within Marathon-Distance Record

MAVEN Completes First Deep Dip Campaign

TECH SPACE
Sensors Detect Icing Conditions to Help Protect Airplanes

Industry: Risk aversion costs more than 'fast failure'

Korean tech start-ups offer life beyond Samsung

Fast visas and dim sum: Spain seeks to attract Chinese tourists

TECH SPACE
More Astronauts for China

China launches the FY-2 08 meteorological satellite successfully

China's Long March puts satellite in orbit on 200th launch

Countdown to China's new space programs begins

TECH SPACE
Spacewalking 'cable guys' wrap up work outside station

NASA preparing to reassemble International Space Station

Space Station 3-D Printed Items, Seedlings Return in the Belly of a Dragon

Spacesuit woes haunt NASA ahead of crucial spacewalks

TECH SPACE
Leaders share messages, priorities at AFA Symposium

Soyuz Installed at Baikonur, Expected to Launch Wednesday

Moog offers "SoftRide" for enhanced spacecraft protection during launch

Russian-Ukrainian Satan Rocket to Launch South Korean Satellite as Planned

TECH SPACE
The mystery of cosmic oceans and dunes

Laser 'ruler' holds promise for hunting exoplanets

Scientists predict earth-like planets around most stars

"Vulcan Planets" - Inside-Out Formation of Super-Earths

TECH SPACE
Building trustworthy big data algorithms

OHB and AAC develop InnoSat platform

UV exposure keeps damaging skin after sunset: study

Apple to invest 1.7bn euros in Ireland, Denmark data centres




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.