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Sentinel-3C sends first images of Italy and Greenland two weeks after launch

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Sentinel-3C, Europe’s newest Copernicus satellite, has returned its first images and measurements just two weeks after launch, the European Space Agency (ESA) said. The data confirm the satellite is working well and on track to monitor Earth’s oceans, land, ice and atmosphere.

Sentinel-3C: Italy and the Alps in the satellite's first natural-colour image
Italy and the Alps in the satellite's first natural-colour image Photo: ESA (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO).

Ocean and land colour instrument: Italy in detail

The first image, taken by the ocean and land colour instrument on 30 September, shows Italy from southern Germany to Sicily. The Po Valley, Italy’s farming heartland, shows in brown and green, with the snow-capped Alps to its north. Lighter blue water along Italy’s east coast is likely sediment carried by rivers. Views of the Arctic and the Caribbean were also released. The EU Space Policy portal published the same images. To the east, the deep blue Adriatic separates Italy from the Balkan Peninsula, part of which is also visible.

Key Facts

  • First image: 30 September 2026
  • Time after launch: about 2 weeks
  • Series: third Sentinel-3 satellite
  • Full service: after about 5 months of commissioning

Greenland ice sheet heights from the radar altimeter

The satellite’s synthetic aperture radar altimeter measured sea surface height and the height of the Greenland ice sheet. ESA said the readings from 30 September to 4 October closely matched a reference elevation model. Over oceans, Sentinel-3 tracks sea temperature, colour, height and sea ice thickness. Over land it watches drought, wildfires, crop health and the height of rivers and lakes. These measurements help scientists track how fast polar ice is thinning and how sea levels are changing.

Sentinel-3C, the Copernicus workhorse: what comes next

Sentinel-3C is the third satellite in the Sentinel-3 series and carries the same set of instruments as the first two, keeping a long-running climate record going. ESA said commissioning the satellite for full service will take about five more months. The data also feed near-real-time weather forecasts and long-term climate studies used by governments around the world. Users from farmers to fisheries managers rely on the free and open Copernicus data.

Why It Matters: Long, unbroken satellite records of sea level, ice and land are the backbone of climate science and weather forecasting.

Also on TrendDesh: Sophie Adenot back in Europe after record 237-day ISS mission · Mekong Delta saltwater farming: Vietnam's rice bowl learns to live with the sea

Source: ESA · EU Space Policy · Copernicus Sentinel Online

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