Sentinel-2B

Sentinel-2B
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Name	Sentinel-2B
Mission type	Earth observation
Operator	European Space Agency
Launch date	7 March 2017
Launch vehicle	Vega
Launch site	Guiana Space Centre
Manufacturer	Airbus Defence and Space
Mass	1143 kg
Orbit	Sun-synchronous, 786 km

Sentinel-2B Sentinel-2B is an Earth observation satellite that forms part of the European Union's Copernicus Programme and the European Space Agency's Copernicus Programme mission constellation. Designed and built by Airbus Defence and Space for the European Space Agency, Sentinel-2B complements a twin satellite to provide high-resolution multispectral imagery for agriculture, forestry, disaster management, and land use monitoring across Europe, Africa, and other continents. The spacecraft contributes data to international initiatives including the Group on Earth Observations and supports users from institutions such as the European Commission and national space agencies.

Overview

Sentinel-2B is one of a pair in the Sentinel-2 mission, intended to provide continuity and increased temporal revisit for the Sentinel series within the Copernicus Programme. The platform extends capabilities first demonstrated by missions like Landsat 8 and SPOT while integrating with operational frameworks from organizations including EUMETSAT, NASA, and regional agencies in the United Nations system. Its data products are widely used by research bodies such as CNRS, Max Planck Society, and universities including University of Oxford and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Spacecraft and Instruments

The satellite bus was manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space, incorporating avionics, power, and thermal systems used on prior platforms like Proba-V. The primary payload is a multispectral imager derived from the Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI) family, providing 13 spectral bands spanning visible, near-infrared, and shortwave infrared wavelengths. The MSI enables analyses similar to those performed with instruments on MODIS, WorldView-3, and Sentinel-3, supporting indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index used by institutions like Food and Agriculture Organization and European Environment Agency. Onboard data handling, attitude control, and star trackers draw heritage from programs involving Thales Alenia Space and navigation systems interoperable with Galileo and GLONASS references.

Mission Objectives and Capabilities

Sentinel-2B's objectives emphasize systematic global land monitoring to support land management, agricultural policy, and emergency response. The mission provides high-resolution optical imagery to detect crop phenology for agencies such as Common Agricultural Policy administrators and to monitor deforestation for NGOs like Greenpeace and scientific consortia including IPCC-affiliated teams. With a 10-meter to 60-meter spatial resolution across bands, frequent revisit enabled by its twin satellite architecture assists disaster relief organizations like Red Cross and humanitarian entities coordinated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Launch and Orbit

Sentinel-2B was launched on 7 March 2017 aboard a Vega launcher from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. The insertion placed the spacecraft into a sun-synchronous orbit at approximately 786 km altitude with an inclination tailored to enable global coverage and a 5-day revisit when combined with its twin satellite constellation. The mission profile and orbit design reflect lessons from predecessors such as Envisat and complement polar-orbiting systems including NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP for near-real-time monitoring.

Operations and Data Products

Operated by the European Space Agency with data dissemination managed under the Copernicus Programme’s free and open data policy, Sentinel-2B delivers Level-1C orthorectified top-of-atmosphere reflectances and Level-2A surface reflectance products produced by tools developed by entities like ESA's Sentinels Scientific Data Hub and processing chains used by European Space Imaging. Data formats and dissemination practices align with standards promoted by CEOS and enable integration into platforms such as Google Earth Engine, ArcGIS, and research portals used by NASA and the European Commission. Users access multispectral time series, mosaics, and indexes supporting operational services like land cover mapping by Copernicus Land Monitoring Service and water quality monitoring by national environment agencies.

Mission History and Notable Applications

Since commissioning, Sentinel-2B has contributed to a range of scientific studies and operational applications. Its imagery has been employed in research published by institutions including Nature (journal), Science (journal), and Elsevier-hosted journals addressing topics from crop yield forecasting used by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center to wildfire burn scar assessments applied by agencies such as European Forest Fire Information System. The satellite's data supported emergency responses to events documented by organizations like United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and has underpinned climate and land-change analyses within reports prepared by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change authors and national meteorological services such as Météo-France and Met Office. The mission continues to be integral to academia, industry, and policy-making across global programs including GEOGLAM and regional initiatives led by entities like African Union and ASEAN.

Category:Sentinel satellites