The first mission dedicated to monitoring global air quality for Europe’s Copernicus programme has passed an important milestone: the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite platform is complete, ready to meet its Tropomi instrument. Built by Airbus Space and Defence in the UK, the platform is based on Astrobus. A hexagonal structure, it acts as a service module and support for the mission’s tropospheric monitoring instrument. Sentinel-5 Precusor is planned to be launched in 2016 to provide timely data on a multitude of trace gases and aerosols affecting air quality and the climate.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has converted a previously contracted back-up launch on a Rockot to a firm agreement with Eurockot Launch Services GmbH for placing into orbit an additional spacecraft from the Copernicus Sentinel range of satellites. Sentinel-5p will be the third satellite from this series to be launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on a Rockot.
politics....
Quote from: Jester on 05/29/2014 04:49 pmpolitics....Not only. Rockot is a joint venture between EADS Astrium and Khrunichev. Although the satellite is being built by Astrium UK; at the end both the manufacturer and the launch provider are Astrium companies.
Quote from: osiossim on 06/01/2014 12:59 pmQuote from: Jester on 05/29/2014 04:49 pmpolitics....Not only. Rockot is a joint venture between EADS Astrium and Khrunichev. Although the satellite is being built by Astrium UK; at the end both the manufacturer and the launch provider are Astrium companies.Thats what I meant, among other things....(cant comment on those, sorry)
Quote from: Jester on 06/01/2014 02:31 pmQuote from: osiossim on 06/01/2014 12:59 pmQuote from: Jester on 05/29/2014 04:49 pmpolitics....Not only. Rockot is a joint venture between EADS Astrium and Khrunichev. Although the satellite is being built by Astrium UK; at the end both the manufacturer and the launch provider are Astrium companies.Thats what I meant, among other things....(cant comment on those, sorry)Money stays inside.
Sentinel-5P is scheduled to be launched mid 2017.
Sentinel-5 Precursor mission is being developed to reduce data gaps between Envisat, in particular the Sciamachy instrument, and the launch of Sentinel-5. As a joint initiative between ESA and the Netherlands the mission will comprise a satellite and a UVNS instrument called Tropomi.
Planned Launch Date: 21 September 2017
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING SENTINEL ON SHOW20 July 2017With Sentinel-5 Precursor about to be packed up and shipped to Russia for liftoff in late September, media representatives, members of the UK Space Agency and National Centre for Earth Observation had the chance to see this Copernicus air-pollution monitoring satellite standing proud in the cleanroom.Sentinel-5 Precursor – also known as Sentinel-5P – is the first Copernicus mission dedicated to monitoring our atmosphere.It has been built to map a multitude of trace gases such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane that affect air quality.The satellite will help to identify pollution hotspots where public health could be at risk. It will also contribute to services that warn of high levels of UV radiation, which can cause skin cancer, and volcanic ash monitoring for aviation safety.Carrying the Tropomi instrument, the most advanced of its kind, Sentinel-5P will map the entire planet every 24 hours. The availability of accurate and up-to-date information will help decision-makers to fight air pollution and climate change.Sentinel-5P is the forerunner of the Sentinel-5 mission to be carried on the MetOp Second Generation satellites that will be launched in a few years. Until then Sentinel-5P will deliver much needed information to monitor and track air pollution.The media event was held at Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage, UK, where the satellite was built and tested.ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Josef Aschbacher, said, “It’s wonderful to see the satellite in all its glory, and it’s thanks to a truly collaborative effort that it will take the EC’s Copernicus programme into a new era of atmospheric monitoring.“ESA is very grateful to the Netherlands for its substantial contribution to the Tropomi instrument. The mission as a whole was designed and built by a consortium of 30 companies under the leadership of Airbus Defence and Space.”Nico van Putten, Deputy Director of the Netherlands Space Office, added, “The development and the implementation of the top-notch Tropomi instrument for Sentinel-5P is thanks to the remarkable close cooperation between different entities from all over Europe.“As a Dutch institution we are proud to contribute to this marvel of space technology, which will now help to tackle global challenges, making Europe even stronger in Earth observation.”Pepijn Veefkind from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, KNMI, added, “Every day, Tropomi will make almost 20 million observations of important air pollutants and gases affecting the climate.“KNMI will use this data to improve air-quality forecasts and to keep a close eye on emission increases or reductions, and to monitor what mitigation measures are effective in protecting the air we breathe.”Engineers will now prepare the satellite for shipment to the Plesetsk launch site in Russia. Once there it will be thoroughly tested and prepared for launch in late September.
A closer look at #Sentinel5P in the clean room; what a beaut! #wemakeitfly at @AirbusSpace Stevenage #spacecity
Nice internal view of @ESA_EO @CopernicusEU #Sentinel5p #Tropomi total launch weight around 820 kg (82 kg of on-board thruster propellant)
Russia's @roscosmos says Europe's long-delayed @CopernicusEU Sentinel 5P Earth obs sat to launch on Rockot vehicle Oct. 9-12.