Sentinel-2A extending operations to meet user needs

Copernicus continues to demonstrate its responsiveness to the needs and demands of the user community with the recently announced exceptional and temporary extension of the availability of the data from the Sentinel-2A satellite mission for one year. In September 2024, the third Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite (Sentinel-2C) was successfully launched from the European Spaceport in French Guiana. Sentinel-2C was intended to gradually take over the tasks of Sentinel-2A as the latter approached the end of its nominal operational lifetime. However, while Sentinel-2C has now successfully completed its commissioning phase and has been handed over to the European Commission by the European Space Agency (ESA), the decision to keep Sentinel-2A operational reflects a commitment to maximising the capabilities of the flagship Earth Observation (EO) component of the EU Space Programme. This decision was driven by requests from the user community to continue having access to Sentinel-2A data, as the satellite remains in good health. With Sentinel-2A, 2B, and 2C in orbit, users will benefit from improved data availability, bolstering applications in many areas including environmental monitoring, emergency response, and other key areas.

Sentinel-2: Three satellites working together

Between January and March 2025, Sentinel-2A will be manoeuvred into a new orbital position, shifting 36 degrees away from Sentinel-2B. This new configuration is designed to improve the availability of Sentinel-2 data, ensuring that Sentinel-2A continues systematic observations over Europe every 10 days, as with Sentinel-2B and Sentinel-2C, while providing an additional 20-day global cycle.

For the first time, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite mission will operate with three active satellites simultaneously in an exceptional and temporary configuration. Sentinel-2B and Sentinel-2C will be positioned in the same sun-synchronous orbit, with a phase difference of 180°, allowing for coordinated imagery acquisition. Meanwhile, Sentinel-2A will move into a complementary position 36° apart from Sentinel-2B, ensuring increased observation frequency, with additional Sentinel-2 observations occurring 2 days apart from Sentinel-2B and 1 day apart from Sentinel-2C.

This configuration will directly benefit end users by providing more up-to-date and frequent data for key applications, including land monitoring, emergency response, and climate change impact analysis. This exceptional one-year extension of Sentinel-2A’s operations underscores the commitment to maximising EO capabilities for operational and scientific communities.

This pilot activity, initiated by the European Commission, reflects the success of the Sentinel-2 mission and the importance of not only maintaining but expanding its operational capabilities. The extension will be subject to an assessment to evaluate its efficiency and potential continuation.

Christoph Kautz, Director for Satellite Navigation and Earth Observation at DG DEFIS commented on the recent decision: ‘Sentinel-2A will not retire yet. Copernicus is user-driven, and we listen to the users all the time. As of this March, Sentinel-2A will be operated to complement the Sentinel-2 mission data acquisition plan. This pilot activity will last one year. Afterward, together with ESA, we will assess the outcomes and decide on its potential prolongation.'

The European Commission’s decision to extend Sentinel-2A’s mission is a response to strong demand from a variety of users and stakeholders. This initiative ensures the continued collection of optical data while maintaining global coverage.

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