Welcoming Sentinel-2C - Sentinel Success Stories

Celebrating Sentinel-2C’s stunning first images

ESA’s Data and Operations Management Framework (EOF) team celebrated the generation of the first stunning images from Sentinel-2C, marking the successful onboarding of the satellite into the framework.

ESA moved in 2021 from a mission-centric ground segment to a Copernicus Ground Segment data-centric and service-oriented architecture, relying on existing European infrastructure and services, ensuring flexibility, resilience and efficiency.

The smooth planning of Sentinel-2C’s observations, followed by the swift ground operations and availability of imagery confirms the robustness of the Copernicus Ground Segment and its underlying operations model.

Thanks to the work of highly committed teams at ESA and in industry, which meticulously prepared for the onboarding of the new satellite, Sentinel-2C’s first images represent a mere fraction of what is to come.

Sentinel-2C’s first images represent just the visible tip of the iceberg, made possible thanks to the work of highly committed teams at ESA and in industry, which meticulously prepared for the onboarding of the new satellite.

The team ensured that all industrial services of the Copernicus EOF were able to support and operate Sentinel-2C, as well as managing new features introduced by the satellite. The Copernicus Coordination Desk had a key role in supporting this effort.

Sentinel-2C’s first images were acquired from the Matera Space Centre in Italy and, during this process, teams were presented with the challenge of potential radio interference from one of its siblings, Sentinel-2B.

Coordination between ESA teams and industry was essential in overcoming this issue and the first downlinks were managed smoothly and efficiently. Additional ground stations, including Svalbard, were swiftly activated to support further acquisitions.

The first data from Sentinel-2C demonstrate the impressive performance of its multispectral imager, even before inflight calibration, providing strong confidence that it will support scientific and operational applications for years to come.