Sentinel-3B, now officially called Copernicus Sentinel 3B in being part of the European Union’s Copernicus environment programme, was launched at 1757 GMT on 25 April 2018 from the Russian Plesetsk launch site. Rockot’s upper stage delivered the 1150 kg Sentinel-3B into its planned orbit. The mission is expected to begin routine operations after five months of testing.
Rockot launches Sentinel-3B. Courtesy: ESA
The satellite carries land and ocean monitoring payloads including the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI), Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR), the SAR Radar Altimeter (SRAL) and the Microwave Radiometer (MWR).
The 1.2m parabolic reflector antenna is for use with the SRAL instrument. The minimum design life of the mission is 7.5 years but the spacecraft carries enough fuel for 12 years of operations.
