Sentinel-2B is a European optical imaging satellite that was launched on 7 March 2017. It is the second
Sentinel-2
Sentinel-2 is an Earth observation mission from the Copernicus Programme that systematically acquires optical imagery at high spatial resolution (10 m to 60 m) over land and coastal waters. The mission is currently a constellation with two satel ...
satellite launched as part of the
European Space Agency's
Copernicus Programme, and its orbit will be phased 180° against
Sentinel-2A. The satellite carries a wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13
spectral bands. It will provide information for
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...
and
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
, among others allowing for prediction of
crop yield
In agriculture, the yield is a measurement of the amount of a crop grown, or product such as wool, meat or milk produced, per unit area of land. The seed ratio is another way of calculating yields.
Innovations, such as the use of fertilizer, the c ...
s.
Mission history
A €105 million contract for the construction of the spacecraft was signed in March 2010 by ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programmes and the CEO of
Astrium Satellites. It was completed in June 2016, and the satellite was transported to the
European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) for the test campaign.
Launch
The spacecraft arrived at the
Centre Spatial Guyanais
The Guiana Space Centre (french: links=no, Centre spatial guyanais; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located approximatel ...
on 6 January 2017 for pre-launch operations.
Launch took place at the nominal time of 01:49:24 UTC on 7 March 2017 on board
Vega flight VV09
Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, and ...
. The spacecraft was injected into its target orbit at 02:47:21 UTC.
References
External links
Sentinel-2 programmeat ESA's Sentinel Online
Sentinel-2 programmeat ESA.int
Real-time orbital trackinguphere.space
{{Orbital launches in 2017
Copernicus Programme
Earth observation satellites of the European Space Agency
Spacecraft launched by Vega rockets
Spacecraft launched in 2017
Twin satellites