Earlier this month, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched its newest Earth-observation satellite, known as Copernicus Sentinel-2C. Joining its siblings Sentinel-2A and B, it will take high-resolution images of the planet’s surface from its altitude of almost 500 miles, capturing some stunning views of lesser-seen parts of our world.
Now, the first images taken by Sentinel-2C have been released, including views over European cities, a stretch of the French coast, and the effects of the wildfires raging through California. “These initial images stand as a powerful testament to the success of this extraordinary mission,” said Simonetta Cheli, ESA’s director of Earth Observation Programmes, in a statement. “While Sentinel-2 will continue to serve Copernicus with distinction for years to come, we are already looking ahead as we develop the next chapter with the Sentinel-2 Next Generation mission.”
The satellite will be used for functions like tracking agriculture by looking for signs of crops or drought, monitoring water quality from space, and managing natural disasters like wildfires, floods, or volcanic eruptions. The effects of recent wildfires in California can be seen in two images below, which show natural color and false color versions of the area south of Los Angeles around the Airport fire, taken on September 12. The image on the left shows the spreading smoke, while the image on the right shows both active fires and areas that have already been burned.
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Here, Sentinel-2C observed an area of south of Los Angeles in California. This comparison, acquired on 12 September 2024, has been processed using the multispectral imager’s different bands to highlight one of the wildfires that the state is currently battling. The natural colour image on the left captures smoke billowing from the Airport Fire, while the false colour image on the right has been processed using the instrument’s shortwave infrared and near-infrared channels to show the large area that has been burned and the active fires, which can be seen as bright orange spots.
With the first images in from the satellite, the engineers on the project will now spend the next three months calibrating the instruments to get even greater precision.
“We are thrilled to see the Copernicus Sentinel-2C already capturing such breathtaking images of Earth so soon after its launch,” said Constantin Mavrocordatos, Sentinel-2 Project Manager at ESA. “This is just the beginning of the incredible insights and detailed data it will provide, helping us better understand our planet.”