The European Space Agency (ESA) and its partners have confirmed the successful launch of Sentinel-4, built by Airbus, a state-of-the-art air quality monitoring instrument, hosted on the third-generation Meteosat weather satellite (MTG-S1). The launch took place as planned and marks a significant progress in Earth observation capabilities in Europe.
“The successful launch of Sentinel-4 aboard MTG-S1 is further evidence of innovation and fruitful collaboration in the European space sector,” said Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus. “The data provided by Sentinel-4 will be an essential contribution to the Copernicus program, helping us to monitor and ultimately improve air quality for citizens across Europe.”
Sentinel-4, developed in Germany on behalf of the ESA, is a UV-VIS-NIR spectrometer that will provide unprecedented high temporal resolution data on the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere. Main measurements will include nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and formaldehyde, in addition to aerosols. This data is crucial for monitoring air quality across Europe, predicting air pollution events, and understanding long-term changes in the atmosphere.
The integration of Sentinel-4 on the MTG weather satellite offers a unique opportunity for simultaneous observation of weather phenomena and the atmospheric chemical composition. This synergistic data acquisition will contribute to more accurate weather forecasts and a better understanding of interactions between weather and climate.
The MTG satellite, which carries Sentinel-4, will be positioned in geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometers above the earth. From this privileged position, Sentinel-4 will provide hourly data on Europe and North Africa. The data will be made available for free and openly through the Copernicus program, serving a wide user community, including scientists, environmental agencies, and policymakers.
The launch of Sentinel-4 is a fundamental step towards the achievement of the Copernicus program’s objectives, which aims to provide accurate and reliable Earth observation data to understand and address environmental challenges, ensure safety, and mitigate the impact of natural disasters. The second Sentinel-4 is in the integration phase and will fly aboard the MTG-S2 satellite, which is scheduled for launch in 2030.
Both the spacecraft and the instrument will be managed by EUMETSAT, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. The Sentinel-4 instrument builds on the experience of previous ESA-proven instruments such as SCIAMACHY and TROPOMI (onboard Sentinel-5P), also built by Airbus.
Source and photo credit @Airbus Defence and Space
