The Sentinel-1B radar satellite, part of the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation program, has not transmitted data since it encountered a malfunction on December 23, 2021.
The duo of Sentinel-1A and 1B satellites are part of the Copernicus constellation of the European Space Agency. (Photo: ESA)
Sentinel-1B is one of the most powerful Earth observation satellites, and the encountered system issue is relatively serious. According to members of the Copernicus program, following the report of the unusual incident with Sentinel-1B on December 23, 2021, they have been carefully preparing to restore the satellite’s operations, including changing configurations on the spacecraft to prevent a recurrence of the issue.
However, during the preparation process, they discovered that the initial malfunction was due to a serious problem related to a component of the power system on the Sentinel-1B satellite. Operations over the past few days have not allowed for the reactivation of the necessary power supply functions to operate the radar. Experts will conduct a more thorough investigation to determine the root cause of the problem and how to resolve it in the coming days.
Sentinel-1B was launched into polar orbit in April 2016, two years after the Sentinel-1A satellite. This duo of satellites continuously provides high-resolution radar maps of the Earth for various users. Each satellite is expected to collect data for at least 7 years and has enough fuel to operate for 12 years.
The Sentinel-1 duo is not the only spacecraft launched under the Copernicus program. The Copernicus constellation also includes two Sentinel-2 satellites, two Sentinel-3 spacecraft, the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite, and Sentinel-6A, which was launched in November 2020. According to the schedule, many new satellites are set to be launched in the coming years.
