The commissioning activities started on Monday 9 September and ran nominally since then. Part of the first week objectives is getting the first images of our Multi-Spectral Instrument. This was achieved over Thursday 12 and Friday 13 September. We selected to share on the blog, among many amazing pictures, the one of Sevilla, the city which was also paired with the last Vega launcher.

It’s really worth to explore further, via the “first images” link on side bar, what the Sentinel-2C instrument can already deliver, before any in-flight calibration!

Another wonderful picture to share is the one taken by Sentinel-2B over French Guiana while Sentinel-2C was still on the launch pad (follow the link “2B captures 2C’). These 2 will for sure make a great team!

Sentinel-2C will now continue undergoing the in-orbit commissioning – during the 3 months following the launch – while drifting towards Sentinel-2A. The 2 satellites A and C will fly some time in tandem to allow for a cross calibration of their instruments, before Sentinel-2C officially takes up its duty and replaces Sentinel-2A in routine operations early 2025.

For the Sentinel-2C launch & LEOP teams, it seems to be the right time to conclude this blog with the fantastic feeling of “mission accomplished”.