Earth Observation: OHB System AG selected for the definition phase of the next optical Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission

Bremen, 10 October 2024 - Viewing the Earth from space is set to become even more precise: OHB System AG, a subsidiary of the space and technology group OHB SE, has been commissioned by the European Space Agency ESA to develop all relevant requirements for the next optical Sentinel-3 mission (S3NGO). The contract has a baseline volume of EUR 9.5 million and a term of 2.5 years.

The two current Sentinel-3 satellites, which have been in space since 2016 and 2018, were developed primarily to measure sea surface topography, sea and land surface temperature, as well as ocean and land surface colour with high accuracy and reliability to support ocean forecasting systems, environmental monitoring and climate monitoring.   For these tasks, two identical satellites fly in the same orbit, meaning that all the necessary instruments, including the highly specialized altimeter radar and spectrometer, are integrated on each satellite.

Next generation with significantly improved performance

"In order to achieve even better results, the instruments on the next generation will be distributed differently. Under the name S3 Next Generation Topo, there will be two satellites with the altimeter radar instruments for which OHB has already completed the definition phase, and under the name S3 Next Generation Optical, we are now developing two satellites, each with two optical instruments that will record the Earth's surface in the visible and infrared spectral range and measure the surface temperature," explains project manager Dr Volker Tesmer. The new generation of Sentinel-3 satellites will operate with significantly improved performance, which places completely new demands on the instruments," says Tesmer.
The first optical instrument of the next Sentinel-3 generation, a multi-spectral system with an increased number of bands (27), will operate with a resolution of 150 metres, which is twice as high as before, and will cover a very wide swath of 1,400 kilometres. Experts call it the AOLCI instrument, which stands for Advanced Ocean and Land Color Imager. The satellites of the optical mission also carry the thermal instrument ASLSTR (Advanced Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer), which will measure the temperature of the Earth's land and water surfaces.

Ensuring the continuity of data in the fight against climate change

The Sentinel-3 NGO mission, the parameters of which OHB is now defining, is intended to make environmental monitoring even more accurate while at the same time ensuring long-term data continuity for users. Users include scientists, government agencies and public institutions, as well as private companies in the agriculture, forestry, fisheries, energy, and water sectors. The mission is scheduled to start in 2034 and aims to provide data for marine, coastal and inland environments, water quality, especially pollution and harmful algal blooms, air pollution management, risk and disaster management, e.g. fires and floods, forest monitoring, food security, humanitarian aid, climate and global change, aerosols and atmosphere, and sea ice surface temperatures. "With this broad spectrum, S3NGO will become another powerhouse in the field of Earth observation. We are delighted that ESA has once again expressed its confidence in our expertise in the development of Earth observation satellites," said Dr Stephan Holsten, Head of the Earth Observation department in OHB's Predevelopment department.

As a prime contractor for the "Copernicus Sentinel-3 Next Generation Optical" (S3NGO) Phase A/B1 study, OHB System AG is responsible for developing the design of the mission, satellite platform and AOLCI instrument (Advanced Ocean and Land Color Imager). Main project partners are Leonardo (Italy) for the ASLSTR Advanced Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer, DEIMOS (Spain) for the mission analysis and Magellium (France) for the data processing.