Workhorse mission for Copernicus

Each Sentinel-3 satellite carries four instruments that work together to provide systematic measurements of Earth’s oceans, land, ice and atmosphere. These measurements will be used to monitor and understand large-scale global dynamics and will be used for ocean and weather forecasting.

The Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) delivers high-accuracy temperature readings of Earth’s surface at a spatial resolution of 500 m for visible/near-infrared and short-wavelength infrared channels, and at 1 km for the thermal infrared channels. It includes two channels for monitoring wildfires. The medium-resolution Ocean and Land Colour Instrument has 21 bands and a spatial resolution of 300 m per pixel to map changing land cover and to monitor ocean biology and water quality. The dual-frequency advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar Altimeter measures sea-surface height, ocean surface waves, sea-ice extent and the height of large inland rivers and lakes. The Microwave Radiometer is used to correct measurements from the radar altimeter affected by water vapour in the atmosphere.