Sentinel-2B
Sentinel-2B is a European optical imaging satellite that was launched on 7 March 2017. It is the second Sentinel-2 satellite launched as part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus Programme, and its orbit will be phased 180° degrees against Sentinel-2A. The satellite carries a wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands. It will provide information for agriculture and forestry, among others allowing for prediction of crop yields.[4]
Model of a Sentinel 2 satellite | |
Mission type | Earth observation |
---|---|
Operator | ESA |
COSPAR ID | 2017-013A |
SATCAT no. | 42063 |
Website | Sentinel-2 (ESA) |
Mission duration | Planned: 7 years[1] Elapsed: 3 years, 5 months, 1 day |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | Sentinel-2 |
Manufacturer | Airbus Defence and Space |
Launch mass | 1,140 kg (2,510 lb) |
Dry mass | 1,017 kg (2,242 lb) |
Dimensions | 3.4 m × 1.8 m × 2.35 m (11.2 ft × 5.9 ft × 7.7 ft) |
Power | 1700 watts |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 7 March 2017, 01:49:24 UTC[2] |
Rocket | Vega |
Launch site | Kourou SLV |
Contractor | Arianespace |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Semi-major axis | 7,157.68 km (4,447.58 mi) |
Eccentricity | 0.000181 |
Perigee altitude | 778.25 km (483.58 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 780.84 km (485.19 mi) |
Inclination | 98.5613° |
Period | 100.45 minutes |
Epoch | 9 March 2017, 19:06:21 UTC[3] |
Transponders | |
Band | S band (TT&C support) X band and optical laser through EDRS (data acquisition) |
Bandwidth | 64 kbit/s upload (S band) 128 kbit/s - 2 Mbit/s down (S band) 520Mbit/s down (X band/Optical) |
Instruments | |
Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) | |
Mission history
A €105 million contract for the construction of the spacecraft was signed in March 2010 by ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programmes and the CEO of Astrium Satellites.[5] It was completed in June 2016,[6][7] and the satellite was transported to the European Space Research and Technology Centre for the test campaign.[8][9]
Launch
The spacecraft arrived at the Guiana Space Centre on 6 January 2017 for pre-launch operations.[10]
Launch took place at the nominal time of 01:49:24 UTC on 7 March 2017 on board Vega flight VV09. The spacecraft was injected into its target orbit at 02:47:21 UTC.[2][11]
References
- "Sentinel-2: The Operational Compernicus Optical High Resolution Land Mission" (PDF). European Space Agency. 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- Clark, Stephen (7 March 2017). "Environmental sentinel launched from French Guiana". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- "Sentinel 2B - Orbit". Heavens-Above. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- "Sentinel-2B Launch Preparations Off to a Flying Start". European Space Agency. 12 January 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- "Astrium to build ESA's second Sentinel-2 satellite for GMES". European Space Agency. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- "Airbus DS completes Sentinel-2B – Satellite News Digest". SupremeSAT. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- "Airbus Defence and Space completes second Copernicus "Eye"" (Press release). Airbus Defence and Space. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- Porter, G. (21 June 2016). "Sentinel-2B entering LSS". Flickr.com. European Space Agency. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- "Sentinel-2B goes through environmental testing at ESTEC". Rhea Group. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- Rider, Honora (12 January 2017). "Sentinel-2B unveiled". European Space Agency. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- "Launch Kit: VV09, Sentinel-2B" (PDF). Arianespace. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
External links
- Sentinel-2 programme at ESA's Sentinel Online
- Sentinel-2 programme at ESA.int
- Real-time orbital tracking - uphere.space