Home World News Europe Second Copernicus satellite reinforces services for citizens and businesses

Second Copernicus satellite reinforces services for citizens and businesses

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Europe’s Earth observation programme “Copernicus” is making further headway in tackling environmental disasters, improving land use for agriculture and forestry and responding to emergency situations.

One year after the successful launch of the first Copernicus satellite (“Sentinel 1”), a second satellite (“Sentinel 2”) was successfully sent into orbit at 03:52 CET on Tuesday 23 June from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Commissioner for Internal market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs said: “Today’s success is not only an achievement for European space policy. Above all, it will benefit citizens down here on Earth. Copernicus provides more precise and reliable information about our environment and European citizens’ security. And the availability of full, free and open satellite observation data is already today allowing innovative entrepreneurs to create new applications and services in Europe.”

The launch of the Sentinel 2 satellite is the fruit of European technological and industrial excellence and brings us further in our path to a new world standard for Earth observation data. The flow of open and free data is already today creating a market for satellite-enabled products and services, providing highly qualified jobs, with spill-over effects across the economy.

The addition of a second satellite will allow Copernicus to deliver images of Earth’s changing land with a high level of detail and accuracy. Citizens and businesses have free, full and open access to the Copernicus data that can be used to manage and protect the environment and natural resources, tackle climate change, and ensure civil security. Sentinel 2 data can help farmers in monitoring the changes in vegetation and cultures during the growing season. The Copernicus data can help in responding to emergency situations, whether man-made accidents or natural disasters such as flooding and landslides. In the recent earthquake in Nepal, the combination of the pictures acquired before and after the quake by the Copernicus satellite helped local relief efforts to target their resources.

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