Just two weeks after reaching orbit, Europe's Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite has sent back its first images of Earth. The views include snow-covered Alps, frozen Arctic islands, and turquoise Caribbean waters. Alongside the imagery, the satellite's instruments have begun measuring ocean heights and the elevation of Greenland's ice sheet, offering an early demonstration of its climate-monitoring capabilities.
The satellite carries two key instruments that are both performing well in initial tests. These tools are designed to track sea surface temperature, color, and height, as well as sea ice thickness, vegetation health, droughts, wildfires, and water levels in rivers and lakes. The data will support weather forecasting and help researchers identify long-term trends linked to climate change.
Sentinel-3C is the third spacecraft in the Sentinel-3 series, part of the Copernicus Earth observation program. The European Space Agency is still preparing the satellite for full operation through a commissioning process expected to last another five months, but the first two weeks in orbit have already produced encouraging results.