The sentinel-3 mission overview

Abstract

In the frame of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) program ESA is currently implementing the Sentinel-3 mission [3], [4]. It is designed as a constellation of two identical polar orbiting satellites, separated by 180 deg, for the provision of long-term operational marine and land monitoring services. These services include the generation of land and ocean colour products, sea and land surface temperature, vegetation products and sea, ice and land surface topography. With a planned launch in 2013 of the first satellite, the Sentinel-3 mission will provide valuable information for scientists and policy makers in the European Union and its Member States for the next decades. The operational character of this mission implies a high level of availability of the data products and fast delivery time, which have been important design drivers for the mission.