LAUNCH OF SENTINEL-3A
NEW SATELLITE WILL MEASURE CONDITIONS OF EARTH'S OCEANS, LAND, ICE AND ATMOSPHERE
Sentinel-3A will provide critical information for ocean and weather forecasting
Story Summary: Tuesday 16th February 2016, Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia
Sentinel-3A,
the newest and most comprehensive of all Sentinel Missions, is set to
launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia at 17:57 GMT (18:57 CET) on
Tuesday 16th February 2016 aboard a Rockot rocket.
The
Sentinels are a fleet of satellites designed to deliver the wealth of
data and imagery that are central to the European Commission's
Copernicus programme, the most ambitious Earth observation programme to
date.
This
unique environmental monitoring programme is making a steep change in
the way we view and manage our environment, understand and tackle the
effects of climate change and safeguard everyday lives. It serves
European citizens, both directly through its products and applications,
and indirectly through social, economic and environmental benefits.
Carrying
a suite of cutting-edge instruments, Sentinel-3 will systematically
measure Earth's oceans, land, ice and atmosphere to monitor and
understand large-scale global dynamics. It will provide essential
information in near-real time for ocean and weather forecasting.
The
mission is based on two identical satellites orbiting in constellation
for optimum global coverage and data delivery. For example, with a swath
width of 1270 km, the ocean and land colour instrument will provide
global coverage every two days.
With
a focus on our oceans, Sentinel-3 measures the temperature, colour and
height of the sea surface as well as the thickness of sea ice. These
measurements will be used to monitor changes in sea level, marine
pollution and biological productivity.
Over
land, this innovative mission will provide a bigger picture by
monitoring wildfires and mapping the way land is used, provide indices
of vegetation state and measure the height of rivers and lakes –
complementing the high-resolution measurements of its sister mission
Sentinel-2.
While
Sentinel-3 will provide enhanced continuity of satellites such as
Envisat and Spot, the sheer breadth of data from this new mission means
that it is set to be the workhorse for Copernicus.
The
mission is the result of close collaboration between ESA, the European
Commission, Eumetsat, France's CNES space agency, industry, service
providers and data users.
As
a prime example of Europe's technological excellence, the two
Sentinel-3 satellites have been designed and built by a consortium of
around 100 companies under the leadership of Thales Alenia Space,
France.
Once
commissioned in orbit, ESA and Eumetsat will manage the mission
jointly. ESA will processes land products and Eumetsat the marine
products for application through the Copernicus services. Data will be
available free of charge and open to users worldwide.
After the launch of Sentinel-3A, Sentinel-3B will follow in 2017.
Learn more about Sentinel at:
http://www.esa.int/sentinel-3
Learn more about Copernicus at:
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus
BROADCAST OPPORTUNITIES DURING LAUNCH
SATELLITE MEDIA TOUR
On
launch day the following ESA's spokespeople and scientists will be
available for interview via satellite from the European Space Operations
Center (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany.
· Volker Liebig, Director of Earth Observation Programmes
· Josef Aschbacher, Head of Programme Planning and Coordination Service, EO Directorate
· Philippe Goudy, Head of EOP Projects Department, EO Directorate
· Susanne Mecklenburg, Sentinel 3 Mission Manager
· Simon Jutz, Head of Copernicus Space Office, EO Directorate
· Simonetta Cheli, Head of Coordination Office, EO Directorate
Post
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento