The Future: ESA Sentinels
The ESA Sentinels specification and the operations concept are based on the requirements for an operational GMES system as defined in cooperation with users and other GMES stakeholders.
The following families of satellites have been defined:
- Sentinel-1: The Sentinel-1 European Radar Observatory is a polar-orbiting satellite system for the continuation of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) operational applications.
More information on Sentinel 1 - Sentinel-2: The Sentinel-2 polar-orbiting satellites will provide systematic global acquisitions of high-resolution multispectral imagery with a high revisit frequency.
This mission is tailored towards the needs of operational land monitoring and emergency services.
More information on Sentinel 2 - Sentinel-3: The primary mission of Sentinel-3 is to support services relating to the marine environment, with capability to serve numerous land-, atmospheric- and cryospheric-based application areas. The first Sentinel-3 satellite is expected to launch in 2012, followed by a second so that they work together to provide maximum coverage.
More information on Sentinel 3 - Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5: The Sentinel-4 and -5 payloads will be carried on meteorological satellites operated by EUMETSAT. Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5 will be devoted to atmospheric composition monitoring for the GMES Atmosphere Service.
More information on Sentinel 4 & Sentinel 5