At 21:02 GMT on April 3, the first satellite of the eight that will make up the “Copernicus” program was launched, the largest terrestrial observation network ever deployed , which will monitor sea, sky and land. Sentinel-1A took off safely from Kourou, French Guiana, and successfully completed its early orbit phase at 693 kilometers altitude. In the next few hours, the vehicle will deploy the solar panels with which it will obtain the necessary energy to survive in space for at least seven years together with its fellow lookout Sentinel-1B, which will be launched next year.
With this ambitious project, the European Space Agency (ESA) is launching a system for monitoring the environment through high-resolution images, similar to that carried out by satellites that monitor and forecast the weather . Sentinels will therefore always keep an eye on the globe, paying special attention to landslides, volcanic eruptions, oil spills and ice sheets, in order to ensure safety and gauge the risk of natural disasters, as well as solving their consequences as soon as possible if they occur. This technology will not only scan the surface of the planet, but will also observe the atmosphere to shed light on the phenomenon of climate change, which in recent weeks has gained special relevance due to the publication of a report on its devastating consequences.
It will not be the only launch we attend, since the “Copernicus” program is made up of a family of missions (Sentinel 1, 2, 3 and 4) each made up of a constellation of two satellites. The first of the first of them is already in polar orbit ready to take images under any meteorological condition, day or night. Its star device is the SAR radar, a 12-meter antenna that will study the earth’s surface through the “echo” of microwaves sent from 700 kilometers of altitude. Sentinel-1B, its namesake satellite, is scheduled to launch next year, and will be located 180 degrees away to together provide a complete picture of the entire Earth in just six days.
The Sentinel mission, whose first satellite will begin operations in an estimated time of three months, is considered the successor to the Envisat mission, which was operational for 10 years until in 2012 communication with the satellite was finally lost.
