Replay of the Sentinel-1A liftoff on a Soyuz launcher from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana at 21:02 GMT (23:02 CEST) on 3 April 2014.
Sentinel-1A is the first in a fleet of ESA satellites poised to deliver the wealth of data and imagery that are central to Europe's Copernicus programme.
Designed as a two-satellite constellation -- Sentinel-1A and -1B -- the Sentinel-1 mission uses an advanced radar instrument to provide an all-weather, day-and-night supply of imagery of Earth's surface. The data will benefit numerous services, including the monitoring of Arctic sea-ice extent, the surveillance of the marine environment, the monitoring of land surface for motion risks and mapping to support humanitarian aid and crisis situations.
Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace
