The UK Space Agency says the UK’s routine access to important environmental data is set to take a major step forward following the launch of EU satellite Sentinel-3A.
The UK is celebrating the launch of the third satellite of Europe’s Copernicus programme which will focus on Earth’s oceans, measuring the temperature, colour and sea levels.
UK space industry has played an important role in developing the mission’s Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR), the Payload Data Ground Segment and components of hardware.
Image:Artist's impression of Sentinel-3. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab
The European Space Agency’s Sentinels, a new fleet of Earth observation satellites, are poised to deliver a wealth of data and imagery that are central to the EU’s Copernicus programme.
UK involvement in Copernicus is through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), with the UK Space Agency providing UK investment in the Sentinel satellites.
Apart from the government and academic uses, business users and the public will have access to a wide array of up to date and accurate satellite data and imagery for free. It is hoped that the free and open data policy will drive a vastly increased uptake in the use of space generated data.
Sentinel-3A data will help with flood and storm surge predictions
Sentinel-3A’s sensors will measure ocean features such as changes in water temperature and surface height – information needed for ocean forecasting and maritime safety. Around coasts, this is also important for predicting extreme events such as storm surges and floods.
Monitoring seawater quality and pollution, the satellite will also help to map the topography and extent of ice, and to monitor the height of lake and river water.
UK companies are planning to use the Sentinel-3A data as the backbone of a cost effective information service in a range of areas from flooding to agriculture and aquaculture. Sentinel-3A data will also be an important contributor to public services such as the Copernicus Climate Service and Copernicus Marine Service.
The UK Met Office is also planning to use sea surface temperature data from the satellite to initialise their weather forecast models.
SLSTR data will also be carefully combined with SST from previous satellite instruments to measure changes across decades. These activities require major computing power, and the UK has created a facility for collecting and processing large volumes of SLSTR and other data, at Harwell.
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