Copernicus Sentinel-3C is due to lift off from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 22:21 local time on 14 September aboard a Vega C rocket operated by Avio.
The launch, known as mission VV30, is scheduled for 01:21 UTC on 15 September (03:21 CEST) and is expected to place the satellite into a Sun-synchronous orbit about 820 km above Earth, the European Commission announced on Thursday.
Copernicus is the European Union’s Earth observation programme, owned, managed and funded by the European Commission, and it provides free data for citizens, researchers, businesses and public authorities.
Sentinel-3C is the latest spacecraft in the Sentinel-3 series and is designed to observe oceans, land, ice and the atmosphere from space.
The programme’s data include measurements such as sea surface temperature, ocean colour and sea level, as well as land cover and other environmental indicators.
Dual launch with FLEX
Sentinel-3C will be launched alongside ESA’s Earth observation satellite FLEX (FLuorescence Explorer) in a dual-satellite mission on Vega C, the Commission said.
The satellite is expected to operate alongside Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B, maintaining the flow of Sentinel-3 data for users worldwide.
Sentinel-3C has been designed and developed by the European Space Agency on behalf of the European Commission, with Thales Alenia Space as the prime contractor and contributions from other European companies.
After testing in orbit, EUMETSAT is set to operate the satellite and deliver data and services to users. Sentinel-3C weighs about 1,143 kg.
