New European satellite Sentinel-2C to scan Earth

The Vega rocket took off from Kourou, French Guiana, on Wednesday and put an observation satellite into orbit, successfully completing its final mission in its classic configuration, confirming Europe’s return to space sovereignty.

Originally scheduled the day before but delayed by 24 hours due to “electrical problems on ground connections“According to Arianespace, the takeoff finally took place on Wednesday at 22:50 local time. On board: the Sentinel-2C satellite. This satellite of the European Copernicus program, which was successfully placed in sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 775 km, 57 minutes and 27 seconds after launch, will be able to provide images of the Earth which is going haywire from a climatic point of view.

Sentinel-2C’s multispectral lens should enable it to take high-resolution photos. This satellite should scrutinize the consequences of climate change on our planet.

“In the context of forest fires, this allows us to monitor the damage on the one hand and to map the fires that appear in certain regions of the world on the other. This also allows the monitoring of crops, the evolution of water surfaces, and also agro-environmental monitoring.”explains Selma Cherchali, head of the “Earth Observation” program at the National Center for Space Studies (CNES). Sentinel-2C will therefore continue the work of the two other Sentinel satellites sent in 2015 and 2017.

Long-term observation of the Earth allows scientists to understand the causes of climate change. “It is a fact, Selma Cherchali assures: Only observation demonstrates the trends, developments and changes that are taking place on our planet, thanks to the analysis of this data. This is very important because it allows us to understand and anticipate climate change in order to better adapt to these effects”.

The mission of this satellite should last at least seven years and it will be joined by its “little brother” Sentinel-2D in 2026.