The Copernicus SENTINEL-2 mission comprises a constellation of two polar-orbiting satellites placed in the same sun-synchronous orbit, phased at 180° to each other. It aims at monitoring variability in land surface conditions, and its wide swath width (290 km) and high revisit time (10 days at the equator with one satellite, and 5 days with 2 satellites under cloud-free conditions which results in 2-3 days at mid-latitudes) will support monitoring of Earth's surface changes.

For mission planning and updated coverage status information, see the Revisit and Coverage page.

This SENTINEL-2 Mission Guide provides a high-level description of the mission objectives, satellite description and ground segment. It also addresses the related heritage missions, thematic areas and Copernicus services, orbit characteristics and coverage, instrument payload, and data products.

The Mission Guide categories are:

• Overview
  This section provides a brief description of the mission and the main thematic areas and services such as land monitoring and climate change.

• Mission Objectives
  Describes primary and secondary objectives of the Copernicus SENTINEL-2 mission.

• Satellite Description
  Describes the satellite platform and the communication links, the main instrument of the SENTINEL-2 mission, the MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI), as well as the orbit characteristics of the mission.

• Ground Segment
  Describes the Systematic Processing and Reprocessing Services and the Flight Operations Segment (FOS).

• Observation Scenario
  Describes the observation scenario, as well as the calibration mode.

• Acquisition Plan
  Gives the last two acquisition plans for the two satellites of the SENTINEL-2 mission.

• Mission Status Reports
  Provides information on the status of the satellites and the instruments, the associated ground segment, and any mission milestones.

• Data Products
  Outlines the Level-1C and Level-2A data products that are available to users, including the Level-1C tiling grid.