Sentinel-2 Mission Overview and Operations Concept
Hoersch, Bianca1; Spoto, Francois2; Martimort, Philippe2; Sy, Omar2; Colin, Olivier1; Gascon, Ferran1; Bargellini, Pier1; Isola, Claudia2; Marchese, Franco3; Fernandez, Valerie2; Drusch, Matthias2; Roeder, Johannes1
1ESA, ITALY; 2ESA, NETHERLANDS; 3ESA, GERMANY

The GMES Sentinel-2 operational mission will routinely deliver high-resolution optical images globally, providing enhanced continuity of SPOT- and Landsat-type data. Sentinel-2 will carry an optical payload with visible, near infrared and shortwave infrared sensors comprising 13 spectral bands: 4 bands at 10 m, 6 bands at 20 m and 3 bands at 60 m spatial resolution (the latter are dedicated to atmospheric corrections and cloud screening), with a swath width of 290 km. The 13 spectral bands guarantee consistent time series, showing variability in land surface conditions and minimising any artefacts introduced by atmospheric variability. The mission based on the concurrent operations of two satellites on a sun synchronous orbit has a revisit time of 5 days at the equator and 2-3 days at mid-latitudes. The first satellite is planned to launch in 2014. The increased swath width along with the short revisit time allows rapid changes to be monitored, such as vegetation during the growing season. Data from Sentinel-2 will benefit services associated with land management by European and national institutes, the agricultural industry and forestry, as well as disaster control and humanitarian relief operations. The presentation will provide an overview on the mission and associated applications that will benefit a large community of users.