First images from Copernicus Sentinel-5A
Copernicus Sentinel-5A has delivered its first images after its launch on 13 August 2025, marking a significant milestone in the monitoring of air quality from space.
The Sentinel-5 mission provides observations of key air pollutants, essential climate variables, and stratospheric ozone, which is the protective layer shielding life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
This visualisation, created with Sentinel-5A data acquired on 13 October 2025, shows atmospheric concentrations of two trace gases: ozone (O₃) and formaldehyde (HCHO).
The image on the left presents the formaldehyde vertical column density. Elevated concentrations along the northwestern coast of Angola are linked to emissions from wildfires, while increased levels over the Central African Republic stem from a combination of fire activity and biogenic emissions.
The image on the right shows a global map of ozone. The hole in stratospheric ozone above Antarctica is clearly visible, with column density values falling below 220 Dobson Units.
Sentinel-5A was developed to strengthen the EU’s capacity for atmospheric monitoring, thereby supporting climate policy, air quality management, and public health protection. Its observations will be integrated into products from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) to provide important insights on trace gases and pollutant concentrations worldwide. For more information on Copernicus Sentinel-5A, read this EU Space Observer.
