The Copernicus programme: Sentinel-2A successfully launched into orbit

Guyana  23 June 2015

Sentinel-2A, the second satellite in the European “Copernicus” environmental monitoring programme, was launched successfully on June 23 at 3.52 (CET) from the European spaceport at Kourou, in French Guyana, using an Arianespace VEGA carrier.

The Matera Space Centre, managed by e-GEOS, one of the three stations in the Copernicus program’s Core Ground Segment, is ready to start receiving data from the new satellite.

Sentinel-2A is a polar-orbiting, multispectral satellite for high-resolution land monitoring. It is able to provide imagery of vegetation, soil and water cover, as well as providing information for emergency services. The first mission in the programme, Sentinel-1A, was launched on April 3, 2014.

ESA is developing five families of Sentinel satellite missions specifically designed for the operational needs of the Copernicus programme. The Sentinels will provide high-resolution radar and optical images of our planet.

Telespazio participates in the consortium of European industries to supply the Payload Ground Segment (PDGS) of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-3, with Telespazio VEGA Deutschland, and is responsible for the design, development, integration and validation of the entire segment, as well as putting into operation the Centre for processing and storing data for both missions.

More specifically, the Telespazio subsidiary VEGA Deutschland will be providing the European Space Centre ESOC with support on Flight control, Flight Dynamics and ground segment engineering for Sentinel-2A, contributing to the development of data processing software.

Telespazio also participates in the development of the Mission Control System of Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3, Sentinel-5 Precursor, under the framework agreement for the software development of ground systems for ESOC, ESA's Space Operations Centre. Finally, Telespazio provide support to the operations of the Control Centre during the pre and post launch of the Sentinel satellites.

Copernicus is the programme for the establishment of a European capacity for Earth Observation, coordinated and managed by the European Commission. Copernicus programme provides accurate, timely and easily accessible information that enables the monitoring of the earth, marine and atmospheric environments, understanding and mitigating the effects of climate change and ensuring civil security.

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