Sharp eyes on Earth

Sentinel-2 carries a high-resolution multispectral optical imager to monitor changes in vegetation for Europe's environmental monitoring Copernicus programme. This mission offers key information to optimise crop yield, thereby helping to improve food security. Data can be used to measure leaf area index, leaf chlorophyll and leaf water content to monitor plant growth, which is particularly important during the growing season. It will be used to generate land-cover maps, to track changes in the way land is being used and to monitor the world’s forests. In addition, Sentinel-2 provides information on pollution in lakes and coastal waters. Images of floods, volcanic eruptions and landslides are also offered to help respond to disasters and for humanitarian relief efforts.

Sentinel-2 is the result of close collaboration between ESA, the European Commission, industry, service providers and data users. The mission has been designed and built by a consortium of around 60 companies led by Airbus Defence and Space, and supported by the CNES French space agency to optimise image quality and by the DLR German Aerospace Centre to improve data recovery using optical communications.