The European Union as part of its Copernicus project, has successfully launched the second of its 6 proposed satellites in the Sentinel series.
The Sentinel -2 was put into orbit from Kourou in French Guiana at 22:51 local time, Monday.
Prof Volker Liebig, the director of Earth observation at the European Space Agency(Esa), explained that the essential purpose of this satellite would be to map and monitor the performance of world’s food crops. This is made possible by its special camera sensors that are attuned to the spectral bands or wavelengths of light emitted particularly by plants. This constant monitoring will help bode news of potential famine conditions due to poor harvest, thus speculation on world food markets could be regulated.
Post launch, The Sentinel is undergoing celebrative checks for the correct functions and accuracy of its instruments. It is expected to begin operations soon after the checking, in three or four months time.
