Sentinel-1B
Sentinel-1B is a European radar imaging satellite launched on 25 April 2016. It is the second of two original satellites in the Sentinel-1 constellation, part of the European Union's Copernicus programme on Earth observation. The satellite carries a C-SAR sensor, capable of providing high-resolution imagery regardless of weather conditions.
| Mission type | Earth observation |
|---|---|
| Operator | ESA |
| COSPAR ID | 2016-025A |
| SATCAT no. | 41456 |
| Website | Sentinel-1 (ESA) |
| Mission duration | Planned: 7 years Elasped: 6 years, 3 months, 9 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Sentinel-1 |
| Bus | Prima |
| Manufacturer | Thales Alenia Space Airbus Defence and Space |
| Launch mass | 2,164 kg (4,771 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 25 April 2016, 21:02 UTC |
| Rocket | Soyuz-STA/Fregat-M |
| Launch site | Kourou ELS |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Altitude | 693 km |
The satellite made its first observation on 28 April, capturing a 250 kilometres (160 mi) wide image of the Austfonna glacier on Svalbard.
Beginning on December 23, 2021, the spacecraft experienced an anomaly which resulted in a loss of data transmission. On January 10, 2022, the European Space Agency confirmed online that a power issue was the root cause of the issue and that initial attempts to fix it had failed. The agency confirmed that efforts to restore the spacecraft's capabilities would continue, before announcing on 3 August 2022 that efforts to recover the mission would end. The power issue disabled the use of the satellite's payload, but otherwise the satellite remains operable, thus allowing ESA to perform a controlled deorbit. Sentinel-1B's deorbit is expected to take place once its successor satellite, Sentinel-1C is in orbit.