Meet the Sentinels

Imagine a team of space reporters, orbiting the Earth every day, capturing stories you can’t see from the ground — whether it's a flood in India, a wildfire in Greece, or air pollution over Los Angeles.

These are the Sentinels, a family of satellites launched by Europe to help us watch over the Earth.

Who launched the Sentinals?

Now that we know what sentinels are...let's see who launched them.

These satellites are part of the Copernicus Programme, created by the European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Think of it like a big, shared science mission to protect the planet — by watching it from space.

How many are there?

There are 18 Sentinel satellites planned across six series (Sentinel-1 to 6), but only 11 have been launched so far.

The good news? Four of them provide free, open data that anyone can access, with the right tools!

Sentinel-1 ("The Space Bat")

It sends out invisible signals (like how bats "see" with sound) to map Earth day or night, even through thick clouds.

Hero work: Tracks floods, oil spills, and disasters when cameras fail.

Sentinel-2 ("Earth's Instagram Camera")

Takes super colorful, detailed photos of land (every 5 days!).

Hero work: Watches forests, crops, and cities grow or disappear.

Sentinel-3 (The Ocean's Thermometer)

Measures sea temperatures, wildfire heat, and ice melt like a giant space thermometer.

Hero work: Predicts droughts, tracks coastal changes, and spots fires.

Sentinel-5P (The Pollution Sniffer)

Acts like a "space nose" detecting invisible gases (smog, methane, volcanic ash).

Hero work: Helps us fight dirty air and climate threats.

BCC Geospatial Center of the CUNY CREST Institute

Meet the Sentinels

Who launched the Sentinals?

How many are there?

Be Spatial, Be Informed.