Sentinel Model Tests Progress Forward

STFC’s RAL Space test facility in Oxfordshire has successfully completed thermal tests on a model of the future European space mission Sentinel-5, an essential step that will allow the Earth Observation project to progress onto the next stages of preparation leading to the instrument’s eventual orbit into space. The model was built to test the mechanical and thermal design under the same conditions the instrument will encounter in orbit and the services were provided to Airbus Defence and Space for this important stage of instrument development.

Sentinel-5 has been dedicated to monitoring air pollution in order to study the planet’s climate and atmosphere and once in orbit will work alongside other instruments to collect data that will ultimately help improve weather forecasts and to better understand our changing climate.

STFC has been involved in many of the Sentinel missions, from providing necessary calibration of instruments to providing the huge computer data storage needed for such projects through its supercomputer and data store, JASMIN.