Successful launch of Copernicus Sentinel-3C
The Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite was successfully launched on 15 September 2026 at 03:21 CEST from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, aboard a Vega-C rocket. It will join Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B in orbit before taking over the former’s primary operational role, thus maintaining the continuity of Sentinel-3 observations into the next decade.
This set of images illustrates the mission’s versatility, with products ranging from vegetation and chlorophyll indices to algal pigment concentration, land-surface temperature, and sea-surface height. Sentinel-3C carries an Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI), which observes ocean colour, vegetation, and atmospheric properties; a Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR), which measures surface temperatures and enables the monitoring of vegetation, clouds, and fires; and a Synthetic Aperture Radar Altimeter (SRAL), supported by a Microwave Radiometer (MWR), which provides precise measurements of sea level, waves, ice, and inland waters.
Together, these instruments provide essential information for monitoring the climate, oceans, ecosystems, water resources, and natural hazards.
