Earth Observation: Aging Copernicus Satellite Can Even Take Night Shots
Sentinel-2A, over ten years old, now takes night shots. Its replacement is in orbit, but the aging satellite performs surprisingly well in the dark.
Night shot of gas production in Qatar
(Image: Modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2025), processed by ESA)
After more than ten years in orbit, the Sentinel-2A Earth observation satellite of the European Copernicus program has now started taking experimental night shots of the Earth's surface. This was announced by the European Space Agency ESA, which explained that they simply wanted to find out how well the aging satellite would perform in the dark. The results "were strikingly positive" and would be particularly encouraging for future Earth observation programs. The test images now show forest fires, oil production facilities in the Middle East, and fishing boats off the coast of South Korea. In the future, night shots could help to study urban growth, for example, the ESA writes.
The Replacement is Already Active
Sentinel-2A was launched in mid-2015 as the first satellite of the second part of the Copernicus program, followed two years later by its twin Sentinel-2B. In 2024, a third satellite, Sentinel-2C, was launched to replace Sentinel-2A. However, because it is still functioning, all three continue to orbit the Earth and collect data. This data consists of optical images of the Earth's surface, which can be used for analyzing vegetation, soil, and water bodies, for example. The three satellites thus contribute to Copernicus' immense data collection, with several tens of petabytes of information already accumulated. This data can be accessed not only by organizations but by anyone interested.
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(Image:Â ESA)
As the ESA now explains, the satellites' cameras are normally switched off when they are over the night side of the Earth. The Sentinel-2 satellites are not actually designed for the shots attempted now. However, it is planned that future missions will collect data over certain regions even at night. This is why the test was conducted. They are very satisfied with the results, which will pave the way for next-generation Sentinel-2 missions, says Simon Proud from ESA. The preparation was enormously demanding, but it was more than worth it to find out what this aging satellite is capable of.
(mho)
