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 with its orbit phased 180° against its sister satellite, Sentinel-2A. The satellite carries a wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands. It provides information for agriculture and forestry, among other services, allowing for prediction of crop yields.[4]
.jpg) Model of a Sentinel 2 satellite | |
| Mission type | Earth observation |
|---|---|
| Operator | European Space Agency (ESA) |
| COSPAR ID | 2017-013A |
| SATCAT no. | 42063 |
| Website | Sentinel-2 (ESA) |
| Mission duration | 7 years (planned)[1] 7 years, 8 months, 28 days (elapsed) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Sentinel-2 |
| Manufacturer | Airbus Defence and Space |
| Launch mass | 1,140 kilograms (2,510 lb) |
| Dry mass | 1,017 kilograms (2,242 lb) |
| Dimensions | 3.4 by 1.8 by 2.35 metres (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 (VV-09) |
| Launch site | Kourou, SLV |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[3] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Altitude | 780 km |
| Inclination | 98.56° |
| Period | 100.45 minutes |
| Transponders | |
| Band | S-band (TT&C support), X-band and optical laser through European Data Relay System (EDRS) (data acquisition) |
| Bandwidth | 64 kbit/s upload (S-band), 128 kbit/s - 2 Mbit/s download (S-band), 520 Mbit/s download (X-band / Optical) |
| Instruments | |
| Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) | |
Mission history
editA €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 (ESTEC) for the test campaign.[8][9]
Launch
editThe spacecraft arrived at the Centre Spatial Guyanais 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]
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Sentinel 2B's descending orbital path
References
edit- ^ "Sentinel-2: The Operational Compernicus Optical High Resolution Land Mission" (PDF). European Space Agency. 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ "Noordwijk Witnesses Successful Testing Of Sentinel-2B". Sat News. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
External links
edit- Sentinel-2 programme at ESA's Sentinel Online
- Sentinel-2 programme at ESA.int
- Real-time orbital tracking - uphere.space