Sentinelsatellitter

Sentinelsatellitter is a term used to denote a class of Earth observation satellites intended for continuous monitoring of the Earth's surface. It is not the official name of a single mission, but in some sources it is used to describe a Sentinel-like fleet modeled after established satellite programs such as the European Union's Copernicus Sentinels. The concept envisions a modular constellation capable of providing regular, multi-sensor imagery for environmental monitoring, disaster response, and resource management.

In a typical interpretation, a Sentinelsatellitter constellation would operate in a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of roughly 600 to 900 kilometers, designed to maximize ground coverage and minimize revisit times. A mix of instruments—optical multispectral imagers and active microwave sensors such as synthetic aperture radar—would enable data collection under a wide range of weather and lighting conditions. Expected data products include land-use/land-cover maps, vegetation indices, soil moisture estimates, sea-ice and glacier monitoring, flood mapping, and urban change detection.

Data policy for a Sentinelsatellitter-like system is often envisioned as open and freely accessible to researchers and policy makers, aligning with the open-data ethos of many Earth-observation programs. Practical challenges include data volume, radiometric calibration, and cloud cover for optical sensors, which the radar payloads can mitigate.

The term itself is rarely used as an official designation, and when it appears it typically serves as a generic descriptor rather than a defined program. Related concepts include the Sentinel satellites of the Copernicus programme.