Sentinel-3A: First Flight Results of Its Optical Payload

Sentinel-3 is a Global Land and Ocean monitoring mission developed in the frame of the joint EC/ESA Copernicusinitiative. Carrying a suite of cutting-edge instruments, Sentinel-3 will measure systematically Earth’s oceans, land, ice and atmosphere to monitor and understand large-scale global dynamics. It will provide essential information in near-real time for ocean and weather forecasting. Four identical Sentinel-3 satellites are planned that will collectively provide a 20-year period of continuous observations. The Sentinel-3A (S3A) satellite was launched on the 16th of February 2016. Sentinel-3B satellite is under development and will be launched in 2017. Sentinel-3C and D satellites are in preparation as replacement for the A and B units. In this paper we will describe the S3A optical payload and summarize the first commissioning phase results.