The Sentinel-1 mission, which provides radar vision for the Copernicus Earth observation program, has added the on-orbit arrival in SSO of the final first generation series of satellites, the Sentinel-1D, launching from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on Tuesday, November 4th.
Thirty-four minutes post launch, the satellite gained its assigned orbit, with signal acquisition confirming the satellite is on-orbit and is actively communicating with the ground systems.
The Sentinel-1 mission delivers high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of Earth’s surface whenever needed, in all weathers, day-and-night. This service is used by disaster response teams, environmental agencies, maritime authorities, climate scientists, and the wider Earth Observation (EO) user community worldwide, who depend on frequent updates of critical data.
Sentinel-1D will join its twin, Sentinel-1C and will replace Sentinel-1A when fully commissioned. When fully commissioned. these satellites will work in tandem, orbiting on opposite sides of the globe, 180° apart, to optimize global coverage and data delivery. Both satellites carry a C-band SAR instrument on board, together with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) instrument to improve the detection and tracking of ships in maritime zones. Both the 1C and the 1D are Galileo compatible as well as with other GNSS and are ready to support
When Sentinel-1D is fully operational, it will enhance AIS observations, including more data on vessel identity, location and direction of travel, and precise tracking. Sentinel-1D and Sentinel-1C are both compatible with the Galileo navigation system, as well as other Global Navigation Satellite Systems.
Additionally, both satellites will be ready to support the European Space Agency’s Earth Explorer Harmony mission, which will be comprised of two satellites to provide new data on various Earth processes, ranging from shifts in the shape of the land surface caused by earthquakes as well as volcanic activity and glacier movement insights. They will orbit Earth in convoy with a Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite to yield new information to answer important questions on Earth system processes.
