Satellite in support of climate protection and disaster control entering orbit

PI1279 – Backnang, 07.03.2017: Just as successful as its twin satellite Sentinel-2A in June 2015, Sentinel-2B started at 02:49 AM (CET) to its long mission in a so-called “Low Earth Orbit” (LEO) around the Earth.

On board a Vega rocket, the launch of the "Second Eye" from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French-Guyana, ran smoothly. Now the critical start and test phase of the mission, which is controlled by the ESOC main control room in Darmstadt, begins.

The Copernicus program is a joint project under the direction of the European Commission and has the objective of delivering remote sensing data to the Earth, providing important services for environmental and safety tasks, like e.g. climate protection or humanitarian aid after environmental catastrophes. The Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B twin satellites enable optical images from the visible to short-wave infrared range in a resolution and quality that has never been known before.

The on-board Laser Communication Terminal (LCT) from Tesat-Spacecom – developed in cooperation with German Aerospace Center DLR – is responsible for the smooth and high-data transmission of the very large image files. This technology allows the Sentinels to transmit data via laser to the geostationary satellites of the European data relay system "SpaceDataHighway". By this, life saving data in case of catastrophes can be provided to users even more quickly.

About Tesat: Over the course of five decades, Tesat-Spacecom has developed in-depth expertise in manufacturing of payload equipment for communication satellites and has established itself as a clear European market leader. On its 60,000m² premises in Backnang, Germany, 1,200 employees develop, assemble, integrate, and test systems and equipment for telecommunication via satellite. To date, more than 700 space projects have been completed. The accumulated in orbit lifetime heritage exceeds 250 million hours.

Further information for journalists:
Tesat-Spacecom GmbH & Co KG
Nina Backes, Communications
Gerberstrasse 49, D-71522 Backnang
Tel.: +49-7191-930-1126
E-Mail: info[at]tesat.de