→ Sentinel-2
eSA’s Optical High-Resolution Mission for GMeS Operational Services
SP-1322/2
March 2012
→ Sentinel-2
eSA’s Optical High-Resolution Mission for GMeS Operational Services
Acknowledgements
In the preparation of this publication, ESA acknowledges the contributions
of the following organisations and individuals:
GMES programme, ESA Sentinel-2 Project and Science Division Teams at
ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands: F. Bertini, O. Brand, S. Carlier, U. Del Bello,
M. Drusch, R. Duca, V. Fernandez, C. Ferrario, M.H. Ferreira, C. Isola,
V. Kirschner, P. Laberinti, M. Lambert, G. Mandorlo, P. Marcos, P. Martimort,
S. Moon, P. Oldeman, M. Palomba, J. Patterson, M. Prochazka, M.H. Schricke-
Didot, C. Schwieso, J. Skoog, F. Spoto, J. Stjernevi, O. Sy, B. Teianu and C. Wildner
ESA Sentinel-2 Payload Data Ground Segment and Mission Management
Team at ESRIN, Frascati, Italy: O. Arino, P. Bargellini, M. Berger, E. Cadau,
O. Colin, F. Gascon, B. Hoersch, H. Laur, B. Lopez Fernandez and E. Monjoux
ESA Sentinel-2 Flight Operations Segment Team at ESOC, Darmstadt,
Germany: M. Collins, F. Marchese and J. Piñeiro
National space agencies working in partnership with ESA:
— CNES, Toulouse, France: S. Ballarin, C. Dechoz, P. Henry, S. Lachérade,
A. Meygret, B. Petrucci, S. Sylvander and T. Trémas.
CNES is in charge of Sentinel-2 image quality activities, including monitoring
mission performance and assisting ESA with the prototyping, development
and verification of payload data processing and product quality monitoring.
— DLR, Bonn, Germany: H. Hauschildt, R. Meyer and S. Phillip-May.
DLR is responsible for providing the Optical Communication Payload (OCP),
developed by Tesat (Germany), which is expected to enhance the distribution
of mission data to receiving and processing stations in real time through
Alphasat and later on EDRS.
Members of the industrial consortium led by Astrium GmbH (platform and
satellite system) and Astrium SAS (MultiSpectral Instrument), in particular
the project managers H. Sontag and V. Cazaubiel and their teams for their
significant contributions to the design, development, integration, testing and
verification of the Sentinel-2 satellite system.
Cover: Artist’s impression of one Sentinel-2 satellite operating in orbit.
An eSA Communications Production
Publication
Sentinel-2: ESA’s Optical High-Resolution Mission for GMES Operational Services
(ESA SP-1322/2 March 2012)
Production editor
K. Fletcher
editing/layout
Contactivity bv, Leiden, the Netherlands
Publisher
ESA Communications
ESTEC, PO Box 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Tel: +31 71 565 3408 Fax: +31 71 565 5433 www.esa.int
iSBn
iSSn
978-92-9221-419-7
0379-6566
Copyright
© 2012 European Space Agency
Foreword
As part of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Space
Component programme, ESA is undertaking the development of an operational
optical high-resolution Earth observation mission. Sentinel-2 is a system of two
polar-orbiting satellites that will contribute to the continuity and improvement
of the SPOT and Landsat series of multispectral missions, and ensure the
delivery of high-quality data and applications for operational land monitoring,
emergency response and security services.
Foreword
iii
Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
1
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 GMES Programme Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.1 GMES Sentinel Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2 GMES Space Component Ground Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.3 GMES Initiative and Data Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3 Sentinel-2 Mission Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4 Sentinel-2 System Concept Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.1 Sentinel-2 Space Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.1.1 Satellite and Platform Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.1.2 The MultiSpectral Instrument Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.1.3 Assembly, Integration and Test Programmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.1.4 Satellite System Verification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.2 Sentinel-2 Ground Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
4.2.1 Flight Operations Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
4.2.2 Payload Data Ground Segment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
5 Sentinel-2 Launch Campaign and Early In-Orbit Operations . . . . . . . . . . . 37
5.1 Launch Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
5.2 Early Orbit Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
5.3 Switch-on and Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6 Sentinel-2 Image Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
7 Sentinel-2 Level-1 Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
8 Prototyping of Level-2 Products: Cloud Screening and Atmospheric Corrections . . . 45
9 Sentinel-2 Applications and Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
9.1 Geoland-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
9.2 SAFER, RISK-EOS and Respond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
9.3 G-MOSAIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
9.4 Sentinel-2 Data Contributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
10 Sentinel-2 Calibration and Validation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
10.1 Radiometric Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
10.2 Geometric Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
10.2 Atmospheric Corrections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
11 Sentinel-2 Pre-flight Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Contents
v
12 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Appendix A: Members of the Sentinel-2 Industrial Consortium . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Appendix B: Associated Industrial Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Appendix C: The Sentinel-2 system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Acronyms and Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
SP-1322/2
vi