ESA Copernicus (fleet) / eo constellation
sourcing8 factsThe Sentinel missions are a family of Earth observation satellites developed specifically for the operational needs of the European Union's Copernicus programme. Each Sentinel mission is based on a constellation of satellites to fulfil revisit and coverage requirements, providing robust datasets for Copernicus services. The missions employ radar and multi-spectral imaging instruments for land, ocean and atmospheric monitoring.
constellations
faq
Who operates ESA Copernicus (fleet)?
ESA Copernicus (fleet) is operated by European Commission. (source, as of 2026-07-05)
When did ESA Copernicus (fleet) first launch?
ESA Copernicus (fleet) first launched on 2014-04-03. (source, as of 2026-07-05)
facts
sats active (verified) counts objects currently tracked in CelesTrak's catalog for this constellation. It is a tracking count, not an operator claim about satellite health. Rows marked computed are the sum of the sub-constellations listed below; each sub-constellation page carries its own sourced figure.
orbit
events
timeline
- 20252025-11-04Sentinel-1D reaches orbit, joining twin Sentinel-1C in the radar constellation (source, as of 2026-07-06)
- 20222022-08-03ESA and European Commission declare end of the Sentinel-1B mission (source, as of 2026-07-06)
- 20212021-12-23Sentinel-1B suffers power supply anomaly, halting radar data delivery (source, as of 2026-07-06)
- 20202020-11-21Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich launches to extend the sea level record (source, as of 2026-07-06)
- 20162016-02-16Sentinel-3A launches, adding ocean and land monitoring to Copernicus (source, as of 2026-07-06)
- 20152015-06-23Sentinel-2A launches, adding multispectral land imaging to Copernicus (source, as of 2026-07-06)
- 20142014-04-03Sentinel-1A launches, opening Europe's Copernicus Earth observation programme (source, as of 2026-07-06)