Agency

Call for Media: First Copernicus air-quality monitoring satellite on show

12/07/2017 2807 views 37 likes

ESA / Space in Member States / United Kingdom

Media are invited to see the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite on 20 July at Airbus in Stevenage, UK, before it is shipped to Russia for launch. As well as viewing this state-of-the-art Copernicus satellite in the cleanroom, media representatives will be able to learn how the mission will revolutionise air-quality monitoring.

With air pollution a major environmental health problem that affects people in developed and developing countries alike, it has never been more important to monitor the air we breathe. Sentinel-5P has been built to map a multitude of trace gases such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane that affect air quality.

The satellite will help to identify pollution hotspots where public health could be at risk. It will also contribute to services that warn of high levels of UV radiation, which can cause skin cancer, and volcanic ash monitoring for aviation safety.

Carrying the Tropomi instrument, the most advanced of its kind, Sentinel-5P will map the entire planet every 24 hours. The availability of accurate and up-to-date information will help decision-makers to fight air pollution and climate change.

While Tropomi was developed jointly by ESA and the Netherlands Space Office, the mission was built by a consortium of 30 companies under the leadership of Airbus, both in the UK and in the Netherlands – and realised thanks to close collaboration between ESA and European Commission.

Sentinel-5P will join five other Sentinel satellites in orbit as part of Europe’s environmental monitoring programme. It will be launched in September from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia.

This is the last chance to see this latest Copernicus satellite before it heads off to the launch site. The event starts at 10:00 GMT (11:00 BST) and includes briefings by ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes Josef Aschbacher, Airbus and the Netherlands Space Office.

There will be an opportunity to film and photograph the satellite in the cleanroom and do interviews in front as the final elements are fitted and tested. If you would like to enter the cleanroom please say so when registering (entry is limited). All equipment must be cleaned prior to arrival and inspected before entry.

Please arrive by 09:30 GMT (10:30 BST) to clear security. The talks will be followed by a Q&A, lunch and interview opportunities. The event closes at 12:00 GMT (13:00 BST).