Sentinel-3
Sentinel-3 is an Earth observation heavy satellite series developed by the European Space Agency as part of the Copernicus Programme. It currently (as of 2020) consists of 2 satellites: Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B. After initial commissioning, each satellite was handed over to EUMETSAT for the routine operations phase of the mission. Two recurrent satellites— Sentinel-3C and Sentinel-3D— will follow in approximately 2025 and 2028 respectively to ensure continuity of the Sentinel-3 mission.
| Manufacturer | Thales Alenia Space | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | EUMETSAT | ||
| Applications | Earth observation | ||
| Specifications | |||
| Spacecraft type | Satellite | ||
| Bus | Prima | ||
| Series | 2 | ||
| Launch mass | 1,250 kg (2,756 lb) | ||
| Dimensions | 3.710 × 2.202 × 2.207 m (12.2 × 7.2 × 7.2 ft) | ||
| Power | 2,100 W | ||
| Design life | 7 years | ||
| Production | |||
| Status | Active | ||
| On order | 2 | ||
| Built | 2 | ||
| Launched | 2 | ||
| Operational | 2 | ||
| Maiden launch | Sentinel-3A 16 February 2016 | ||
| Last launch | Sentinel-3D ≥ 2021 | ||
| |||
Each Sentinel-3 satellite is designed to operate for seven years in a Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit and uses multiple sensors to measure topography, temperature, marine ecosystems, water quality, pollution, and other features for ocean forecasting and environmental and monitoring.