The first mission dedicated to monitoring global air quality for Europe's Copernicus programme has passed an important milestone: the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite platform is complete, ready to meet its Tropomi instrument.

Built by Airbus Space and Defence in the UK, the platform is based on Astrobus. A hexagonal structure, it acts as a service module and support for the mission's tropospheric monitoring instrument.

Sentinel-5 Precursor is planned to be launched in 2016 to provide timely data on a multitude of trace gases and aerosols affecting air quality and the climate.