Best Earth Observation

Launched by the European Space Agency in 2014, Sentinel-1 is a radar imaging satellite and a core component of the Copernicus program. It utilizes a C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument to provide continuous all-weather, day-and-night imagery of the Earth's surface. This data is used by...

Sentinel-2B is an Earth observation satellite operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of the Copernicus Programme. Launched in 2017, it flies in a sun-synchronous orbit phased 180 degrees opposite its twin, Sentinel-2A. Equipped with a multispectral imager, the satellite captures high-re...

Nimbus-7 was an American meteorological research satellite launched by NASA in 1978 into a sun-synchronous orbit. As the final satellite in the highly successful Nimbus program, it carried a suite of remote sensing instruments to study Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and climate. Notably, it hosted the...

GOES-18 is a geostationary weather satellite operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and launched in 2022. It replaced GOES-17 as the operational GOES-West satellite, taking up a vantage point at 137.2 degrees West longitude. As part of the advanced GOES-R series, it u...

Sentinel-3 is an Earth observation satellite mission developed by the European Space Agency as part of the Copernicus Programme. The initial satellite, Sentinel-3A, was launched in 2016 to accurately measure sea surface topography, sea and land surface temperatures, and ocean color. The mission is d...

GOES-19 is the fourth and final satellite in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R-series, launched in 2024. Operated by NOAA and NASA, it is designed to be positioned in geostationary orbit as GOES-East. From this vantage point, it monitors weather and environmental conditions acr...

Sentinel-2C is an Earth observation satellite developed by the European Space Agency for the Copernicus program, successfully launched in 2024. It joins the Sentinel-2 constellation to ensure the continuity of multispectral imaging operations previously managed by its predecessors. From a sun-synchr...

SPOT-1 was a French Earth observation satellite launched by the CNES in 1986, marking the inaugural mission of the commercial SPOT satellite program. Operating in a sun-synchronous polar orbit, it was equipped with two HRV (High Resolution Visible) imaging instruments capable of capturing 10-meter p...

Sentinel-1C is a European Space Agency Copernicus program satellite carrying a C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instrument. Launched in December 2024, it joined the Sentinel-1 constellation in Sun-synchronous polar orbit to provide continuous, all-weather, day-and-night Earth imaging. Its data...

Landsat 4 was a joint NASA and U.S. Geological Survey Earth observation satellite launched on July 16, 1982 into a Sun-synchronous near-polar orbit at approximately 705 km altitude. It carried the Thematic Mapper sensor, which provided 30-meter resolution in six visible and infrared bands plus a 120...

Sentinel-3B is an Earth observation satellite operated by the European Space Agency as part of the Copernicus Programme, launched in April 2018. It flies in a sun-synchronous low Earth orbit, orbiting in tandem with Sentinel-3A to provide optimal global coverage. The satellite carries multiple instr...

IRS-1A was India's first indigenous remote sensing satellite, launched on March 17, 1988 from Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Soviet Vostok rocket. Built by ISRO, it operated in a sun-synchronous polar orbit at approximately 900 km altitude. The satellite carried two Linear Imaging Self-Scanning Sensor...

Launched in February 2009, NOAA-19 is the final spacecraft in the Polar Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) series operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The satellite circles Earth in a sun-synchronous polar orbit, collecting global atmospheric, oceanic, and te...

NOAA-18 is an environmental monitoring satellite launched in May 2005 as part of the U.S. Polar Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) series. Built by Lockheed Martin, it orbits Earth in a sun-synchronous trajectory to provide global atmospheric and surface data. The satellite carries a suite o...

ERS-2 (European Remote-Sensing Satellite 2) was an Earth observation satellite operated by the European Space Agency. Launched in 1995, it built upon the capabilities of its predecessor by introducing the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment, an instrument designed to measure global stratospheric ozon...

NOAA-15 is a polar-orbiting environmental satellite launched by the United States in 1998 as part of the Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) series. It operates in a sun-synchronous orbit, carrying instruments such as the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and th...

ERS-1, or European Remote-Sensing Satellite 1, was the first Earth observation satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). Launched in 1991, the satellite carried advanced instruments, including a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and a radar altimeter, to monitor the planet's surface. It s...

Launched in April 2013, GaoFen-1 is the first satellite deployed in China's High-Definition Earth Observation System (CHEOS). It operates in a sun-synchronous orbit equipped with high-resolution and wide-field cameras. The satellite provides 2-meter panchromatic and 8-meter multispectral imagery, al...

Resurs-P No.1 is a Russian civilian Earth observation satellite launched into orbit in 2013 to provide high-resolution imagery for environmental monitoring and resource management. Operated by Roscosmos, the satellite is equipped with advanced imaging payloads, including a 1-meter panchromatic camer...

Sentinel-1B was a European Space Agency (ESA) Earth observation satellite launched in April 2016 as part of the Copernicus Programme. Operating in a polar orbit, it was equipped with a C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to provide continuous, all-weather day-and-night imagery of the Earth's surfa...

GOES-17 is a NOAA geostationary weather satellite launched in 2018 as the second spacecraft in the GOES-R series. Its main imaging instrument, the Advanced Baseline Imager, provides observations used for weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, and analysis of Earth's atmosphere and surface. A...