The third satellite in the Copernicus Sentinel 2 mission, Sentinel-2C lifted off successfully this morning from Kourou in French Guiana to orbit the planet at an altitude of 786 km.

The Sentinels are a fleet of satellites that take images of Earth while gathering vast quantities of data, over 34 million gigabytes so far, and feed into Copernicus, Europe’s Earth space observation programme. 

That data is then used to help respond to natural disasters, monitor pollution and inform action on climate change.

The satellites capture high-resolution images of land and coastal areas, which have a range of uses from monitoring the spread of wildfires, to detecting methane leaks from pipelines and power plants.

The mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites flying in the same orbit but 180° apart, named Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B. Together, they cover all of Earth’s land and coastal waters every five days.

With Sentinel-2C now in orbit, it will soon replace its predecessor, Sentinel-2A, while Sentinel-2D will eventually take over from Sentinel-2B.

Speaking on the launch, Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for science and technology, said: “As the world’s most comprehensive satellite Earth observation system, we are working to ensure that Copernicus benefits UK businesses and citizens, supports our space industry, and grows our economy.”

UK industry and expertise helped to build the Sentinel 2 satellites, including work by Teledyne e2V, based in Chelmsford, which provided a metal oxide sensor (CMOS), part of the satellite’s multispectral instrument, and ABSL, based in Culham, which provided batteries to power the satellite during its 7.5 year lifespan.

The government hopes that now the UK is once again a full participant in Copernicus, there will be more opportunities for UK companies and scientists to be part of industrial teams building the next generation of Sentinels, which will launch through the 2030s. 

Other UK businesses will benefit from this and other satellite launches too, by having access to a wide array of up-to-date and accurate satellite data and imagery for free. 

Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency said: “The UK played a key role in the development of the Copernicus programme to date, and we’re confident that our ongoing participation will generate even more industrial contracts and world-leading climate science.

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“As we also prepare to take on the role of Chair of the Committee on Earth Observing Satellites next month, the UK is fully committed to driving forward the greater use of satellite data to benefit our citizens, as well as communities all over the world.”

Last month, UK Space Command launched its first satellite which can capture daytime images and videos of the Earth’s surface, developed under the Ministry of Defence’s space-based ISR programme to support military operations on the ground. 

Meanwhile, the National Space Operations Centre is continuing its mission to bolster UK satellite safety through the recently announced Monitor Space Hazards platform tool called Manoeuvre Trade Space Plots that will help UK satellite operators plan collision avoidance.