ESA title

The mission

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites in the same orbit. Each satellite carries an innovative wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands for a new perspective of our land and vegetation.

The launch

Date: Sentinel-2A - 23 June 2015
          Sentinel-2B - 7 March 2017
          Sentinel-2C - 5 September 2024
Site: Kourou, French Guiana
Launcher: Vega rocket

Sentinel-2
The colours of autumn across the western border of North Macedonia and Greece are captured in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image from 27 October 2024.
Applications

Earth from Space: Autumn foliage across Europe

08/11/2024 3625 views 49 likes
Read
Intertidal seagrass Cadiz Lagoon
Applications

Sentinel-2 unveils the seasonal rhythm of intertidal seagra…

03/10/2024 3157 views 41 likes
Read
Long, thin snow dunes
Applications

Unveiling the hidden snow dunes shaping Antarctica's frozen…

01/10/2024 2536 views 27 likes
Read
Seville from Copernicus Sentinel-2C
Applications

Sentinel-2C delivers stunning first images

17/09/2024 23366 views 127 likes
Read
Sentinel-2C model in ESOC's Main Control Room
Enabling & Support

A smooth start to life in orbit for Sentinel-2C

10/09/2024 2166 views 39 likes
Read
Sentinel-2C takes to the skies
Applications

Sentinel-2C joins the Copernicus family in orbit

05/09/2024 11771 views 81 likes
Read
Mission control GO for Sentinel-2C launch
Enabling & Support

Sentinel-2C operators complete final rehearsals

03/09/2024 2557 views 34 likes
Read
Sentinel-2C being encapsulated in the Vega fairing
Applications

Sentinel-2C sealed in the Vega rocket fairing

23/08/2024 2771 views 40 likes
Read
Nitrogen dioxide plumes over Saudi Arabia
Applications

Detecting nitrogen dioxide from power plants with Sentinel-2

05/08/2024 2883 views 34 likes
Read
Sentinel-2C arrives in Kourou
Applications

Sentinel-2C arrives in French Guiana

22/07/2024 3815 views 44 likes
Read
Mediterranean marine litter mapped by satellite
Enabling & Support

Monitoring marine litter from space is now a reality

19/06/2024 20808 views 41 likes
Read
Barcelona captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2
Applications

From space to soil

24/04/2024 2750 views 34 likes
Read
Soybean
Applications

Measuring nutrition in crops from space

10/10/2023 8548 views 85 likes
Read
Sentinel-5P detected methane plumes
Applications

Trio of Sentinel satellites map methane super-emitters

20/09/2023 34613 views 145 likes
Read
Smoke plume from the Litli-Hrútur volcano
Applications

Litli-Hrútur eruption seen from space

26/07/2023 16016 views 74 likes
Read
Faenza flood map
Applications

Satellites map aftermath of Emilia-Romagna floods

20/07/2023 11376 views 83 likes
Read
Al Wahat al Dakhla Desert, Egypt
Applications

Introducing World Cereal

20/04/2023 7209 views 87 likes
Read
Applications

10 remarkable Earth facts

18/04/2023 456016 views 2572 likes
Read
Sargassum seaweed
Applications

Smelly seaweed bloom heads to Florida

07/04/2023 18907 views 83 likes
Read
EO-WIDGET for CAP compliance
Applications

Boosting market traction for agri-monitoring service

15/02/2023 2152 views 48 likes
Read
Osmaniye City, Türkiye, captured by Pléiades Neo
Applications

Satellites support impact assessment after Türkiye–Syria ea…

13/02/2023 16529 views 118 likes
Read
Sentinel-2 captures Antarctica’s new iceberg
Applications

Giant iceberg breaks away from Antarctic ice shelf

25/01/2023 29548 views 169 likes
Read
Nord Stream leak as captured by Pléiades Neo
Applications

Satellites detect methane plume in Nord Stream leak

06/10/2022 18397 views 128 likes
Read
Great Salt Lake in July 2022
Applications

Utah’s Great Salt Lake is disappearing

01/08/2022 34078 views 134 likes
Read
France and Spain land-surface temperature
Applications

Feeling the heat from space

20/07/2022 13578 views 137 likes
Read
Zaap-C platform
Applications

Methane emissions detected over offshore platform in the Gu…

09/06/2022 12754 views 114 likes
Read
Danube Delta
Applications

Revealing coastline dynamics of the Danube Delta

24/05/2022 8920 views 73 likes
Read
Oil palm plantations distribution
Applications

Tracking agricultural-related deforestation

05/05/2022 7079 views 77 likes
Read
Dwindling waters of Lake Powell
Applications

Dwindling water levels of Lake Powell seen from space

11/04/2022 34731 views 117 likes
Read
Highlighting crops with Agriculture Sandbox NL
Applications

Monitoring crop health across the Netherlands

08/02/2022 7529 views 113 likes
Read
Bangkok, Thailand
Applications

Mapping our human footprint from space

11/11/2021 20502 views 86 likes
Read
Applications

Satellites pinpoint communities at risk of permafrost thaw

09/11/2021 5063 views 99 likes
Read
La Palma as captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2
Applications

La Palma volcano: How satellites help us monitor eruptions

11/10/2021 27974 views 182 likes
Read
California fires
Applications

California continues to burn

15/09/2021 9256 views 102 likes
Read
Sentinel-2C arrives at IABG for testing
Applications

Gearing up for third Sentinel-2 satellite

09/08/2021 27767 views 76 likes
Read
Chamoli disaster from space
Applications

Satellites reveal cause of Chamoli disaster

14/06/2021 7793 views 107 likes
Read
Peloponnese coastline changes
Applications

Monitoring coastal changes in Greece

18/05/2021 9142 views 120 likes
Read
Glacier avalanches in the Sedongpu region, China
Applications

Glacier avalanches more common than thought

30/04/2021 5739 views 123 likes
Read
Joining forces to address food security
Applications

ESA and FAO unite to tackle food security and more

20/04/2021 6741 views 61 likes
Read
Sermersooq, Greenland
Applications

Satellite imagery key to powering Google Earth

15/04/2021 23996 views 113 likes
Read
Mount Etna smoke plumes
Applications

Satellites monitor Mount Etna’s unpredictable behaviour

08/04/2021 16567 views 102 likes
Read
Annual mean shoreline change: Start Bay, Devon
Applications

Measuring shoreline retreat

29/03/2021 9056 views 152 likes
Read
Methane hotspots over a gas pipeline in Kazakhstan
Applications

Monitoring methane emissions from gas pipelines

04/03/2021 28153 views 203 likes
Read
New crack in the Brunt Ice Shelf
Applications

Is Brunt on the brink?

12/02/2021 7910 views 95 likes
Read
Wetlands
Applications

Earth observation vital in monitoring wetland waters

02/02/2021 6164 views 88 likes
Read
Optimising agriculture
Applications

Cloud-free crop maps foster sustainable farming

25/01/2021 6880 views 57 likes
Read
Earth is losing ice at record rate
Applications

Our world is losing ice at record rate

25/01/2021 16461 views 141 likes
Read
Methane hotspot detected with Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery
Applications

Mapping high-resolution methane emissions from space

14/12/2020 15464 views 121 likes
Read
Airplane
Applications

Monitoring European air traffic with Earth observation

07/12/2020 5033 views 82 likes
Read
Applications

Sentinel data enables new system for agricultural monitorin…

12/11/2020 4897 views 35 likes
Read
1 2 3 4 >