Just two weeks after launch, Europe's Sentinel-3C satellite has sent back its first images and measurements. The results confirm that two of its key instruments are working well. The first set includes views of Italy, the Arctic, and the Caribbean from its ocean and land color instrument. A radar altimeter also measured the height of the Greenland ice sheet and the sea surface. Sentinel-3C is the third satellite in the Sentinel-3 series of the Copernicus program.
The Sentinel-3 satellites carry the same set of instruments and observe the oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere. Over the sea, they measure surface temperature, color, and height, as well as sea ice thickness. These readings help track pollution and marine heatwaves. Over land, they monitor drought and wildfires, check vegetation health, and measure the height of rivers, lakes, and ice sheets. Their data feed weather forecasts and long-term climate studies. The European Space Agency is still commissioning the new satellite, a careful process that will take about five more months.