Sentinel-2A launched with 12 Sofradir SWIR detectors on board

Date Announced: 23 Jun 2015

Sofradir’s large format shortwave IR detectors have been integrated into instruments on board Sentinel-2, a land monitoring and food security studies mission for the ESA.

Palaiseau, near Paris, France – Sofradir, the global leader of advanced infrared (IR) detectors for military, space and industrial applications, today announces it delivered 24 shortwave IR detectors (SWIR) to Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) for the European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-2 mission.

ADS provided two MultiSpectral Imager instruments (MSI) for the Sentinel-2 mission that offer high-resolution infrared optical imagery. They will provide high-resolution optical imaging to monitor the Earth and thereby provide continuity for the SPOT (an Earth observation system) and Landsat missions.

The MSI will measure the Earth's reflected radiance in 13 spectral bands from the visible (440nm) to shortwave infrared (2190nm).  To meet the requirements of the space mission, 12 of Sofradir‘s SWIR detectors are on board the Sentinel-2A satellite that launched earlier today. The remaining 12 devices are assigned to the Sentinel 2B satellite, whose launch is planned for 2016.

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E-mail: bruno.fieque@sofradir.com

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