Sentinel-1

Also known as Sentinel 1

Sentinel-1 is the first of the Copernicus Programme satellite constellations for Earth observation operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). Data collected via the satellites are used e.g. for marine and land monitoring, emergency response to environmental disasters, and economic applications.

Key facts

Spacecraft class.name: Sentinel-1
Spacecraft class.image: Sentinel 1-IMG 5874-white.jpg
Spacecraft class.caption: Model of a Sentinel-1 (radar antenna missing)
Spacecraft class.manufacturer: Thales Alenia Space Astrium Satellites DLR Jena-Optronik
Spacecraft class.operator: European Space Agency
Spacecraft class.applications: Land and sea monitoring, natural disasters mapping, sea ice observations, ships detection
Spacecraft class.spacecraft_type: Satellite
Spacecraft class.constellation: Active: 2
Spacecraft class.design_life: 7 years (12 years of consumables)
Spacecraft class.batteries: 324 Ah
Spacecraft class.status: Active

~9 min read

Article

16 sections

Contents

Overview
Spacecraft
Sentinel-1A
Sentinel-1B
Sentinel-1C
Sentinel-1D
Background
Instruments
Operational modes
Data products
Applications
Measuring land subsidence
Earthquake monitoring
Gallery
References
External links

== Overview == The mission was originally composed of a constellation of two satellites, Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B, which shared the same orbital plane. Sentinel-1B was retired following a power supply issue on 23 December 2021, which left Sentinel-1A the only satellite of the constellation to be operating, until Sentinel-1C was successfully launched on 5 December 2024. Sentinel-1D launched in November 2025.