Astrium To Guide Sentinel-2 Into Action

Sentinel-2, the first optical satellite in the Sentinel series, will have Astrium as its prime contractor. The European Space Agency (ESA) made that determination via a contract worth 195 million euros. Sentinel-2 is the medium spatial resolution optical mission of the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) program, an initiative of ESA and the European Commission that aims to set up a permanent European network for the recording and analysis of environmental and security relevant data. The multi-spectral instrument (MSI) will generate optical images in 13 spectral channels in the visible and short-wave infrared range down to a resolution of 10-meters, with an image width of 290-kilometers. This will enable Sentinel-2 to provide a permanent record of comprehensive data to help inform the agriculture sector (utilisation, coverage, sealing), forestry industry (population, damage, forest fires), disaster control (management, early warning) and humanitarian relief programmes. Sentinel-2 will also be able to observe natural disasters such as floods, volcanic eruptions, subsidence and landslides—Friedrichshafen