Sentinel-3A

Launch data:

Spacecraft data:

Description:

• SENTINEL 3A mission is set to last at least seven years, tracking changes in the planet's sea level, ocean color, marine organisms like algae and phytoplankton, ice sheets, and rivers and lakes. The satellite's instruments will measure global sea levels, detect the temperature of sea water, and determine the color of land and ocean surfaces worldwide. A powerful radar altimeter, together with a microwave radiometer, will be able to measure the height of the sea surface to an accuracy of 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) from 815 kilometers (506 miles) up in space. SENTINEL 3A is also featured with a thermal infrared radiometer, which will measure the temperature of the Earth, and that can measure the temperature of the ocean surface to an accuracy of about 0.2 degrees Celsius. An multi-spectral camera seeing in 21 visible and near-infrared bands will capture the colors of the sea, revealing oil spills, algae blooms, and plankton spreading across the ocean.

Mission details:

• A Eurockot/Krunichev Rokot (UR-100N missile with Briz-KM upper stage) was launched from Plesetsk on Feb 16, 2016. The Briz-KM entered a 153 x 785 km transfer orbit followed by an 802 x 806 km target orbit, deploying the Sentinel-3A satellite. It then lowered perigee to 411 x 744 km to reduce orbital lifetime.
• ESA's Sentinel-3A is part of the European Union's Copernicus remote sensing program, and carries an ocean color imaging payload and an ocean-topography radar altimeter payload.

External links:

• Satellite tracking: Real time satellite tracking