Sentinel-1

Last updated
Sentinel-1
Sentinel 1-IMG 5874-white.jpg
Model of a Sentinel-1 (radar antenna missing)
Manufacturer
Operator European Space Agency
ApplicationsLand and sea monitoring, natural disasters mapping, sea ice observations, ships detection
Specifications
Spacecraft typeSatellite
ConstellationActive: 2
Launch mass2,300 kg (5,100 lb)
Dry mass2,170 kg (4,780 lb)
Dimensions3.9 m × 2.6 m × 2.5 m (13 ft × 8.5 ft × 8.2 ft)
Power5.9 kilowatts (5,900 W) [2]
Batteries324 Ah
Design life7 years (12 years of consumables)
Production
StatusActive
On order4
Built4
Launched3
Operational2
Retired1
Maiden launch Sentinel-1A (3 April 2014) [3]
Last launch Sentinel-1C (5 December 2024)
Related spacecraft
Subsatellite of Copernicus Programme
Sentinel-2 →

Sentinel-1 is the first of the Copernicus Programme satellite constellations conducted by the European Space Agency. [4] The mission was originally composed of a constellation of two satellites, Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B, which shared the same orbital plane. Two more satellites, Sentinel-1C and Sentinel-1D are in development. Sentinel-1B was retired following a power supply issue on December 23, 2021, leaving Sentinel-1A the only satellite of the constellation currently operating. [5] Sentinel-1C has been successfully launched on 5 December 2024, 21:20 UTC, but is still ongoing in-orbit test before fully operational. [6]

Contents

Overview

The first satellite, Sentinel-1A, launched on 3 April 2014, and Sentinel-1B was launched on 25 April 2016. Both satellites lifted off from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana on a Soyuz rocket. [7] Sentinel-1D is in development. [8] An equipment failure on Sentinel-1B in December 2021 accelerated work on Sentinel-1C, [9] which has been successfully launched in December 2024. [10]

The satellites have a Sun-synchronous, near-polar (98.18° inclination) orbit. [11] Their orbits have a 12-day repeat cycle and complete 175 orbits per cycle (having a 98.6 minute orbital period). The satellites operate at 693 km (431 mi) altitude, with 3-axis altitude stabilization.

The European Space Agency and European Commission's policies makes Sentinel-1's data easily accessible. Various users can acquire the data and use it for public, scientific, or commercial purposes for free.

Instruments

Sentinel-1 spacecraft are designed to carry a C-band synthetic-aperture radar (C-SAR) instrument which provides a collection of data in all-weather, day or night, as well as an SDRAM-based Data Storage and Handling Assembly (DSHA). [12]

The single C-SAR instrument with its electronics provides 1 dB radiometric accuracy with a central frequency at 5.405 GHz. [11] This instrument has a spatial resolution down to 5 m (16 ft) and a swath of up to 410 km (250 mi). [13] The data collected in C-SAR was made to be continuous after the termination of a previous mission (Envisat mission). [14]

The DSHA has an active data storage capacity of about 1,443  Gbit (168 GiB), receiving data streams from SAR-SES over two independent links gathering SAR_H and SAR_V polarization, with a variable data rate up to 640 Mbit/s on each link, and providing 520 Mbit/s X-band fixed-user data-downlink capability over two independent channels towards ground.

Operational modes and data products

The first data strip acquired by Sentinel-1B over the Barents Sea. The Svalbard archipelago is visible on the left side. Sentinel-1B's first image ESA359682.jpg
The first data strip acquired by Sentinel-1B over the Barents Sea. The Svalbard archipelago is visible on the left side.

Sentinel-1 has four operational modes and four types of data products available. All data levels are publicly available for free online within 24 hours of observation. [15]

Operational modes

The four operational modes offered by Sentinel-1 are: [11] [16] [17]

Data products

The four types of data products offered by Sentinel-1 are: [16]

Applications

A composite of Ireland's land cover derived from Sentinel-1A data Irish mosaic ESA358799.jpg
A composite of Ireland's land cover derived from Sentinel-1A data

There are a wide range of applications for the data collected via the Sentinel-1 mission, including marine and land monitoring, emergency response to environmental disasters, and economic applications. A major goal of the mission was to provide C-Band SAR data. [14] Sentinel-1 provides continuity of data from the ERS and Envisat missions, with further enhancements in terms of revisit, coverage, timeliness and reliability of service. Recently, Sentinel-1 has worked in conjunction with SMAP to help achieve a more accurate measure of soil moisture estimates. [18] Observations from both instruments show them to be complementary of each other as they combine data of soil moisture contents.

A summary of the main applications of Sentinel-1 include: [19]

Measuring land subsidence

The C-SAR instrument is capable of measuring land subsidence through the creation of interferometric synthetic-aperture radar (InSAR) images. The analysis of phase changes between two or more synthetic aperture radar images taken at different times is able to create maps of the digital elevation and measure the land surface deformation of an area. High spatial (20m) and temporal (6 days) resolutions allow Sentinel-1 to improve on current InSAR techniques and provide systematic continuity to the data. [20]

Earthquake monitoring

Shortly after the August 2014 South Napa earthquake, data collected by Sentinel-1A was used to develop an interferometric synthetic-aperture radar, or InSAR, image of the affected region. The Sentinel-1 satellites are expected to make analysis of earthquakes using InSAR techniques quicker and simpler. [21]

Industrial

A map showing ice flow speed on the Antarctic Peninsula created from Sentinel-1A data Antarctic Peninsula ice flow ESA360217.jpg
A map showing ice flow speed on the Antarctic Peninsula created from Sentinel-1A data

The prime contractor of the mission is Thales Alenia Space Italy, with whole system integration and also with production of platform Spacecraft Management Unit (SMU) and payload Data Storage and Handling Assembly (DSHA). Sentinel-1A was constructed in Rome, Italy. Other technologies such as the T/R modules, the C-band synthetic-aperture radar antenna, the advanced data management and transmission subsystems, and the on-board computer, were developed in L'Aquila and Milan. [22] The C-SAR instrument is the responsibility of Astrium Gmbh.

The ground segment prime contractor is Astrium with subcontractors Telespazio, WERUM, Advanced Computer Systems and Aresys. Final test verification of the satellite was completed at Thales Alenia Space's clean rooms in Rome and Cannes. [22]

Spacecraft

Examples of images produced from Sentinel-1 data.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Envisat</span> ESA Earth observation satellite (2002–2012)

Envisat is a large Earth-observing satellite which has been inactive since 2012. It is still in orbit and considered space debris. Operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), it was the world's largest civilian Earth observation satellite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EUMETSAT</span> European intergovernmental organisation

The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) is an intergovernmental organisation created through an international convention agreed by a current total of 30 European Member States.

RADARSAT-2 is a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Earth observation satellite. It launched on 14 December 2007 aboard a Starsem Soyuz-FG rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The spacecraft is owned by MDA

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space-based radar</span> Use of radar systems mounted on satellites

Space-based radar or spaceborne radar is a radar operating in outer space; orbiting radar is a radar in orbit and Earth orbiting radar is a radar in geocentric orbit. A number of Earth-observing satellites, such as RADARSAT, have employed synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to obtain terrain and land-cover information about the Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copernicus Programme</span> Programme of the European Commission

Copernicus is the Earth observation component of the European Union Space Programme, managed by the European Commission and implemented in partnership with the EU member states, the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Environment Agency (EEA), the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), Frontex, SatCen and Mercator Océan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thales Alenia Space</span> Satellite manufacturer

Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between the French technology corporation Thales Group (67%) and Italian defense conglomerate Leonardo (33%). The company is headquartered in Cannes, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COSMO-SkyMed</span> Italian radar observation satellite system

COSMO-SkyMed is an Earth-observation satellite space-based radar system funded by the Italian Ministry of Research and Ministry of Defence and conducted by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), intended for both military and civilian use. The prime contractor for the spacecraft was Thales Alenia Space. COSMO SkyMed is a constellation of four dual use Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISR) Earth observation satellites with a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) as main payload, the result of the intuition of Giorgio Perrotta in the early nineties. The synthetic-aperture radar was developed starting in the late nineties with the SAR 2000 program funded by ASI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SAOCOM</span> Earth observation satellite constellation of Argentina

SAOCOM is an Earth observation satellite constellation of Argentina's space agency CONAE. Two satellites are already orbiting the Earth in a Sun-synchronous orbit. The second one was launched on 30 August 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentinel-2</span> Earth observation mission

Sentinel-2 is an Earth observation mission from the Copernicus Programme that acquires optical imagery at high spatial resolution over land and coastal waters. The mission's Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B satellites were joined in orbit in 2024 by a third, Sentinel-2C, and in the future by Sentinel-2D, eventually replacing the A and B satellites, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentinel-3</span> Earth observation satellite series

Sentinel-3 is an Earth observation heavy satellite series developed by the European Space Agency as part of the Copernicus Programme. As of 2024, it consists of 2 satellites: Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B. After initial commissioning, each satellite was handed over to EUMETSAT for the routine operations phase of the mission. Two recurrent satellites, Sentinel-3C and Sentinel-3D, will follow in approximately 2025 and 2028 respectively to ensure continuity of the Sentinel-3 mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Science Division</span>

The Earth and Mission Science Division is a group of European Space Agency (ESA) staff mission scientists, contractors, research fellows, young graduates, trainees, and administrative staff working within the Climate Action, Sustainability and Science Department of the Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes. The Division is located at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, South Holland, The Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CryoSat-2</span> European Space Agency environmental research satellite

CryoSat-2 is a European Space Agency (ESA) Earth Explorer Mission that launched on April 8, 2010. CryoSat-2 is dedicated to measuring polar sea ice thickness and monitoring changes in ice sheets. Its primary objective is to measure the thinning of Arctic sea ice, but has applications to other regions and scientific purposes, such as Antarctica and oceanography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentinel-1A</span> European radar imaging satellite

Sentinel-1A is a European radar imaging satellite launched in 2014. It is the first Sentinel-1 satellite launched as part of the European Union's Copernicus programme. The satellite carries a C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar which will provide images in all light and weather conditions. It analyzes many phenomena occurring on Earth, from detecting and tracking oil spills and mapping sea ice to monitoring movement in land surfaces and mapping changes in the way land is used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentinel-2A</span> European optical imaging satellite

Sentinel-2A is a European optical imaging satellite launched in 2015. It is the first Sentinel-2 satellite launched as part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus Programme. The satellite carries a wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands. Its observations support services such as forest monitoring, land cover change-detection, natural disaster management and water quality monitoring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentinel-3A</span>

Sentinel-3A is a European Space Agency Earth observation satellite dedicated to oceanography which launched on 16 February 2016. It was built as a part of the Copernicus Programme, and is the first of four planned Sentinel-3 satellites. Its sister satellite, Sentinel-3B, launched on 25 April 2018. After completing initial commissioning, each satellite was handed over to EUMETSAT for the routine operations phase of the mission. Two recurrent satellites - Sentinel-3C and Sentinel-3D - will follow in approximately 2025 and 2028 respectively to ensure continuity of the Sentinel-3 mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentinel-1B</span> European radar imaging satellite

Sentinel-1B was a European radar imaging satellite launched on 25 April 2016. It is the second of two original satellites in the Sentinel-1 constellation, part of the European Union's Copernicus programme on Earth observation. The satellite carries a C-SAR sensor, capable of providing high-resolution imagery regardless of weather conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentinel-4</span> Earth observation satellite

Sentinel-4 is a European Earth observation mission under development to support the European Union Copernicus Programme. It will focus on monitoring of trace gas concentrations and aerosols in the atmosphere to support operational services covering air-quality near-real time applications, air-quality protocol monitoring, and climate protocol monitoring. The specific objective of Sentinel-4 is to support this with a high revisit time over Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentinel-2B</span> European optical imaging satellite

Sentinel-2B is a European optical imaging satellite that was launched on 7 March 2017. It is the second Sentinel-2 satellite launched as part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus Programme, and with its orbit phased 180° against its sister satellite, Sentinel-2A. The satellite carries a wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands. It provides information for agriculture and forestry, among other services, allowing for prediction of crop yields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich</span> Earth observation satellite

The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich (S6MF) or Sentinel-6A is a radar altimeter satellite developed in partnership between several European and American organizations. It is part of the Jason satellite series and is named after Michael Freilich. S6MF includes synthetic-aperture radar altimetry techniques to improve ocean topography measurements, in addition to rivers and lakes. The spacecraft entered service in mid 2021 and is expected to operate for 5.5 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Mars Ice Mapper Mission</span> Proposed NASA-led orbiter mission to Mars

The International Mars Ice Mapper Mission (I-MIM) is a proposed Mars orbiter being developed by NASA, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). As the mission concept evolves, there may be opportunities for other space agency and commercial partners to join the mission. The goal of the orbiter is the quantification of extent and volume of water ice in non-polar regions of Mars. The results are intended to support future Mars missions, especially with respect to the search for habitable environments and accessible In situ resource utilization (ISRU) resources. The International-Mars Ice Mapper is an "exploration precursor mission", comparing it to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission. The mission was envisioned to be launched as early as 2026. However, in March 2022, it was revealed in its fiscal year 2023 budget proposal that the US government would terminate NASA financial support for the Mars Ice Mapper, casting the project's future into uncertainty.

References

  1. ↑ "Sentinel 1". Earth Online. European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Sentinel 1 Datasheet" (PDF). ESA. August 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Earth Online – Sentinel 1". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Sentinel-1". Sentinel Online. European Space Agency. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "Mission ends for Copernicus Sentinel-1B satellite". The European Space Agency.
  6. ↑ "Sentinel-1C". University of Twente.
  7. ↑ "Soyuz overview". Arianespace. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Foust, Jeff (18 January 2022). "ESA considering moving up radar satellite launch after Sentinel-1B malfunction". SpaceNews . Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Oppdraget over for radarsatellitten Sentinel-1B" [Mission over for the Sentinel-1B radar satellite]. Norwegian Space Agency (in Norwegian). 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  10. ↑ Sentinel-1C
  11. 1 2 3 4 Attema, Evert; et al. (August 2007). "Sentinel-1: The Radar Mission for GMES Operational Land and Sea Services" (PDF). Bulletin. 131: 10–17. Bibcode:2007ESABu.131...10A.
  12. ↑ "Sentinel-1: Instrument Payload". Sentinel Online. European Space Agency. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  13. ↑ "User Guides - Sentinel-1 SAR - Extra Wide Swath - Sentinel Online". Sentinel Online. Retrieved 2023-04-26.[ permanent dead link ]
  14. 1 2 "Sentinel-1 - ESA EO Missions - Earth Online - ESA". earth.esa.int. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  15. ↑ "Sentinel-1 - Data Distribution Schedule - Missions - Sentinel Online". sentinel.esa.int. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  16. 1 2 "User Guides - Sentinel-1 SAR - Acquisition Modes". Sentinel Online. European Space Agency. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  17. ↑ "Sentinel 1 Data Access and Products". European Space Agency. March 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  18. ↑ Lievens, H.; Reichle, R. H.; Liu, Q.; De Lannoy, G. J. M.; Dunbar, R. S.; Kim, S. B.; Das, N. N.; Cosh, M.; Walker, J. P. (2017-06-27). "Joint Sentinel-1 and SMAP data assimilation to improve soil moisture estimates". Geophysical Research Letters. 44 (12): 6145–6153. Bibcode:2017GeoRL..44.6145L. doi:10.1002/2017gl073904. ISSN   0094-8276. PMC   5896568 . PMID   29657343.
  19. ↑ "User Guides - Sentinel-1 SAR - Applications". Sentinel Online. European Space Agency. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  20. ↑ Cian, Fabio; Blasco, José Manuel Delgado; Carrera, Lorenzo (March 2019). "Sentinel-1 for Monitoring Land Subsidence of Coastal Cities in Africa Using PSInSAR: A Methodology Based on the Integration of SNAP and StaMPS". Geosciences. 9 (3): 124. Bibcode:2019Geosc...9..124C. doi: 10.3390/geosciences9030124 .
  21. ↑ Amos, Jonathan (2 September 2014). "Sentinel system pictures Napa quake". BBC News. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  22. 1 2 "Sentinel-1A Arrives at Launch Site in French Guiana". Thales Group. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  23. ↑ "Decolla la space economy italiana" [Take off of the Italian space economy] (in Italian). Airpress. 2015-12-15. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  24. ↑ "Carbon component blamed for Vega rocket loss". BBC News. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  25. ↑ Foust, Jeff (12 January 2024). "Europe considers launching Copernicus satellite on Falcon 9". SpaceNews. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  26. ↑ "Arianespace supporting the European Union's Copernicus programme with Vega C". Arianespace (Press release). 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
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