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Copernicus Sentinel-1 supports Vendée Globe 2024 - Sentinel Success Stories
Copernicus Sentinel-1 boosts safety of Vendée Globe skippers
Copernicus Sentinel-1 data are helping solo adventurers participating in an iconic unassisted round-the-world yacht race, named the Vendée Globe, to chart a safe course through icy stretches of ocean.
It is taking a group of 40 participants – each commanding their own vessel – south through the Atlantic, around Antarctica, and back to the race’s starting point. The route passes through regions where icebergs could threaten the safety of sailors.
To minimise this risk, CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites) – a subsidiary of the French Space Agency (CNES) and investment company CNP – uses satellites to monitor maritime hazards, enabling experts to identify an ice-free corridor for skippers.
Sentinel-1A continues to deliver near real-time high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images during darkness and under all weather conditions, making it a powerful tool for ice-monitoring in polar regions.
By early November, CLS had analysed nearly one hundred radar images, focusing on the remnants of massive icebergs originating from Antarctica. Some of these fragments had the potential to pose a risk to sailors for several weeks before they melted.
This analysis helped CLS define an Antarctic Exclusion Zone (ZEA) around Antarctica, which prohibits skippers from getting too close to icebergs within this area. The ZEA is updated throughout the race based on new observations.
Sentinel-1A continues to deliver near real-time high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images during darkness and under all weather conditions, making it a powerful tool for ice-monitoring in polar regions.
By early November, CLS had analysed nearly one hundred radar images, focusing on the remnants of massive icebergs originating from Antarctica. Some of these fragments had the potential to pose a risk to sailors for several weeks before they melted.
This analysis helped CLS define an Antarctic Exclusion Zone (ZEA) around Antarctica, which prohibits skippers from getting too close to icebergs within this area. The ZEA is updated throughout the race based on new observations.
By early November, CLS had analysed nearly one hundred radar images, focusing on the remnants of massive icebergs originating from Antarctica. Some of these fragments had the potential to pose a risk to sailors for several weeks before they melted.
This analysis helped CLS define an Antarctic Exclusion Zone (ZEA) around Antarctica, which prohibits skippers from getting too close to icebergs within this area. The ZEA is updated throughout the race based on new observations.
Reliable and near real-time Sentinel-1 data are playing a key role in supporting sailors as they navigate one of the most challenging maritime routes, demonstrating how the mission can directly contribute to human safety in extreme environments.
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