Sentinel-3B rocket in the launch tower

Three hours before launch on the 25 April 2018, the Rockot launcher with Sentinel-3B is undergoing the last preparations before liftoff from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in Russia.Once safely in orbit and fully commissioned, this new satellite will begin its mission to map Earth’s oceans and land surfaces. Its identical twin, Sentinel-3A, has been in orbit since February 2016. The two-satellite constellation offers optimum global coverage and data delivery for Europe’s Copernicus environment programme.