Sentinel-1A Prepped for Launch

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Sentinel-1 controllers ready for hectic first days

25 March 2014 Following a spectacular launch, Sentinel-1A’s first few days in orbit will be some of the most complex in recent memory. Mission control teams will work around the clock to nurse the satellite through its early critical hours in space.

As part of Europe’s Copernicus programme, ESA’s Sentinel-1A is the first of a two-satellite mission that will scan land and oceans using an advanced radar to deliver imagery regardless of weather.

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Sentinel-1 fuelled and ready

26 March 2014 ESA’s first satellite dedicated to Europe’s environmental monitoring Copernicus programme has been fuelled and pressurised, ready for its launch on 3 April.

Since its arrival in Kourou, French Guiana a month ago, Sentinel-1A has been put through a series of stringent tests.

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Last look at Sentinel-1

1 April 2014 As preparations for the launch of the first satellite for Copernicus continue on track, the team at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana has said farewell to Sentinel-1A as it was sealed from view within the rocket fairing. Liftoff is set for 21:02 GMT (23:02 CEST) on Thursday.

Marking another milestone on the road to launch, the Soyuz rocket has been rolled out and raised on the launch pad.

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Dress rehearsal final step prepares for Sentinel-1

2 April 2014 A full ‘dress rehearsal’ involving teams on both sides of the Atlantic took place yesterday, marking the last major step in training teams for the Sentinel-1A lift off on 3 April.

Launch of ESA's Sentinel-1A radar satellite will mark a new shift in European Earth observation, focusing on operational missions to support users for decades to come.

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Edited April 3, 2014 by Waspie_Dwarf

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Sentinel-1 ready for launch

3 April 2014 With Sentinel-1A now sitting atop its Soyuz rocket, liftoff from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana is set for today at 23:02 CEST (21:02 GMT).

Official authorisation to launch was given following yesterday’s Arianespace final review. This process confirmed the readiness of the rocket and its passenger, along with the readiness of the launch site and network of tracking stations.

With the weather also fair, everything is currently ‘green’ and on schedule. The next step will be to fuel the rocket, which starts four hours before liftoff.

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Sentinel-1 soundtrack

Sentinel-1A, the first satellite for Europe's environmental monitoring Copernicus programme, is being launched from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 3 April 2014. It will be lofted into orbit on a Soyuz rocket.

This animation shows some of the critical stages delivering Sentinel-1 into orbit around Earth. After separating from the Fregat upper stage, the satellite takes around 10 hours to deploy its 12 m-long radar and two 10 m-long solar wings. This deployment sequence is unique, choreographed to ensure that both deploy in the safest possible way. This approach also allows power from the wings to be available as soon as possible so that the satellite is independent.

Delivering vital information for numerous operational services, from monitoring ice in the polar oceans to tracking land subsidence, Sentinel-1 will play a key role in the largest civil Earth-observation programme ever conceived.

The animation is set to a track called Sentinel by Mike Oldfield, a world-renowned musician and big space fan.

Credits:

Graphics: ESA/ATG medialab; Music written by M. Oldfield/copyright EMI Virgin

Source: ESA - Space in Videos