Satellite Overview
Launch Year
2015
Operating Agency
European Commission (ESA/Copernicus)
Orbit Type
Sun-synchronous, 786km altitude
Mission Purpose
Land monitoring with higher resolution and faster revisit
Sensors and Instruments
Multispectral Instrument (MSI)
Resolution Information
Spatial Resolution
10m (VNIR), 20m (SWIR), 60m (coastal/TCI)
Spectral Resolution
13 bands (Visible to SWIR)
Temporal Resolution
5 days (Sentinel-2A and 2B combined)
Radiometric Resolution
12-bit (0-4095 values)
Spectral Bands
| Band | Wavelength Range | Resolution | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | 0.43-0.45 μm | 60m | Coastal aerosol detection |
| Band 2 | 0.46-0.52 μm | 10m | Blue light (10m resolution) |
| Band 3 | 0.56-0.60 μm | 10m | Green light (high resolution) |
| Band 4 | 0.66-0.68 μm | 10m | Red light, NDVI input |
| Band 5 | 0.70-0.71 μm | 20m | Vegetation edge detection |
| Band 6 | 0.74-0.76 μm | 20m | Red edge, crop analysis |
| Band 7 | 0.77-0.79 μm | 20m | Red edge, plant health |
| Band 8 | 0.79-0.89 μm | 10m | NIR, vegetation vigor |
| Band 11 | 1.57-1.65 μm | 20m | SWIR, moisture mapping |
| Band 12 | 2.10-2.28 μm | 20m | SWIR, mineral detection |
Applications
High-resolution land use classification (10m)
Crop monitoring and precision agriculture
Forest health and change detection
Water quality assessment
Urban planning and development tracking
Disaster response (rapid mapping)
Environmental monitoring
Student Notes
- •Best spatial resolution among free satellite data (10m)
- •5-day revisit cycle when using both Sentinel-2A and 2B
- •Red edge bands (5, 6, 7) improve vegetation discrimination
- •Higher cost in processing but excellent accuracy
- •Freely available via Copernicus Open Access Hub
- •Red edge NDVI = (Band 8 - Band 6) / (Band 8 + Band 6)
Quick Facts
Launched
2015
Agency
European Commission (ESA/Copernicus)
Best Resolution
10m (VNIR), 20m (SWIR), 60m (coastal/TCI)
Revisit Cycle
5 days (Sentinel-2A and 2B combined)