EU launches flagship Sentinel satellite project to monitor Earth By Jonathan Amos A Soyuz rocket has launched from French Guiana with the first satellite in the European Unions new multi-billion-euro Earth-observation programme. The Sentinel-1a spacecraft has been put in orbit on a mission to map the planets surface using radar. It will be followed by a fleet of other satellites - also called Sentinels - over the next five years. Brussels is describing its Copernicus programme as the biggest ever effort to characterise our world. Sentinel 1a Sentinel-1a will play an important role in responding to natural disasters When the full satellite system is operational, it will be producing daily some eight terabytes of data to detail the state of Earths land surface, its oceans and its atmosphere. European nations have so far committed 7.5bn euros (£6.2bn; $10.3bn) to the project. But the vision for Copernicus is that it is unending - that every Sentinel satellite is replaced at the demise of its mission, ensuring there is continuity of information deep into this century. Once all the Sentinel satellites have been launched, the Copernicus programme will be the most efficient and fullest Earth-observation programme in the world, said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. This investment will allow Europe to establish itself at the forefront of research and innovation in a cutting-edge sector - namely, space. Many skilled jobs have been created and many more are yet to come. The Soyuz carrying the first radar observer lifted clear of the Sinnamary launch pad on the Guianese coast at 18:02 local time (21:02 GMT; 22:02 BST). The ride to an altitude of 699km took 23 minutes. A signal confirming a clean separation for Sentinel-1a from the rocket was received shortly afterwards... ### this fb page is sponsored by Telexfree Try out our service for 1 hour free every other day. Call to landlines and cell phones of 40 countries. Enjoy and Prove it NOW. telexfree/ad/saysuccess $$$
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 11:00:40 +0000
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