IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine - June 2014 - 40

vations that could have a wide range of as yet unforeseen
applications, such as for mapping subsurface geological features in deserts in support of palaeo-hydrological
studies, for studying the structure of ice sheets, and the
surface topography of areas under dense vegetation. The
SAR mission will use for the first time full polarimetry,
polarimetric-interferometry and tomography from space.
Biomass is scheduled for launch in 2020, it will last five
years and it comprises a tomographic phase followed by
an interferometric phase.

table 1. Sentinel MiSSionS aS of May 2014.
Satellite

launch date

MiSSion

Sentinel-1A

3 April 2014

Operational monitoring of sea ice,
marine environment, land surface

Sentinel-3A

2015

Global land and ocean monitoring
services

Sentinel-2A

2015

Land monitoring related services

Sentinel-3B

2015/2016

Global land and ocean monitoring
services

Sentinel-1B

2015

Operational monitoring of sea ice,
marine environment, land surface

Sentinel-2B

2015/2016

Land monitoring related services

Sentinel-5
Precursor

2015

Supporting global atmospheric composition and air quality monitoring
services. It will bridge the gap between
Envisat and Sentinel 5 (to be flown on
MetOp SG)

Sentinel-6A

2019

Global sea-surface height measurements, for operational oceanography
and climate studies (formerly Jason CS)

Sentinel-6B

2025

Global sea-surface height measurements for operational oceanography
and climate studies (formerly Jason CS)

around 200 m, it will be possible to address a range of
far-reaching scientific issues. In particular, the Biomass
mission will help to reduce the large uncertainties in the
carbon flux due to changes in land use; provide scientific
support for international treaties, agreements and programs such as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation); improve understanding
and predictions of landscape-scale carbon dynamics; provide observations to initialise and test the land element of
Earth system models; provide key information for forest
resources management and ecosystem services; and support biodiversity studies and conservation efforts.
The Biomass mission will explore Earth's surface with
a P-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), making obser-

III. OPERATIONAL MISSIONS: THE SENTINELS
Copernicus (formerly known as GMES, Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is the European
Union's Earth observation and monitoring program, a
user driven program, building on the existing national
and European capacities and establishing new infrastructure and services.
The Copernicus program is coordinated and managed
by the European Commission. The development of the
space observation infrastructure is performed by the European Space Agency (ESA).
ESA is developing a new family of missions called
Sentinels specifically for the operational needs of the
Copernicus program. Each Sentinel mission is based
on a constellation of two satellites to fulfill revisit and
coverage requirements, providing robust datasets for
Copernicus Services. The Sentinel mission satellites will
carry a range of technologies, including radar and multispectral imaging instruments for land, ocean and atmospheric monitoring.
1) SENTINEL-1
The Sentinel-1 constellation is a pair of C-band Synthetic
Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging satellites [6] that will
ensure the continuity of C-band SAR data and build on
the heritage and experience with the ERS and Envisat

The Earth Explorer Missions

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022 2023

Goce
Smos
Cryosat
Swarm
Adm-aeolus
Earthcare
Biomass

FIguRE 2. The Earth Explorer missions.

40

ieee Geoscience and remote sensing magazine

june 2014
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine - June 2014
