Europe has taken another step in space exploration
NASA
The European Union continues to expand the capabilities of the Copernicus programme: today, an Ariane 62 rocket launched the Sentinel-5A satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit from Kourou (French Guiana). The launch, carried out in co-operation with ESA, EUMETSAT and Arianespace, was a success - the first signal was transmitted two hours later.
Once calibrated, Sentinel-5A will orbit the Earth every 100 minutes, collecting daily data on pollutants and trace gases in the atmosphere around the world. This information will be key to the implementation of European environmental strategies, including the Zero Pollution Plan, the Atmospheric Air Quality Directive and the Methane Strategy.
Sentinel-5, combined with the geostationary Sentinel-4 and the future CO2M mission, form one of the most advanced atmospheric observation systems in the world. The launch not only strengthens the EU's environmental monitoring capabilities, but also confirms its status as a space power and global leader in providing remote sensing data.
