Sentinel-2: high-resolution and multispectral

Developed for Europe's Copernicus programme, Sentinel-2 carries an optical payload with visible, near infrared and shortwave infrared sensors comprising 13 spectral bands: 4 bands at 10 m, 6 bands at 20 m and 3 bands at 60 m spatial resolution (the latter is dedicated to atmospheric corrections and cloud screening), with a swath width of 290 km.

Data from the mission will benefit services associated with land management, the agricultural industry and forestry, as well as disaster control and humanitarian relief operations. Imagery for the generation of high-level operational products, such as land-cover maps, land-change detection maps and geophysical variables that use, for example, leaf area index, leaf chlorophyll content and leaf water content will be provided. Images of floods, volcanic eruptions and landslides will also be acquired by Sentinel-2. The mission is designed as a pair of identical satellites.