SENTINEL 1C

About This Satellite

Sentinel-1C is a C-band synthetic aperture radar spacecraft. During commissioning, it demonstrated that observations from the new satellite could be combined with Sentinel-1A data for interferometry. That experiment tested continuity of a precise measuring system, not merely whether the new spacecraft could send back a recognizable picture of Earth.

The important information can be in the radar phase

Interferometry compares radar observations to extract information about surface geometry or change. ESA's February 2025 demonstration required carefully synchronized scans from the two spacecraft. The result supports applications such as monitoring subsidence, uplift, and glacier movement, but a coloured interferogram is not a direct optical photograph of displacement.

An early demonstration is not a blanket quality approval

Sentinel-1C was still being commissioned when these initial interferograms were reported. Showing a successful example and releasing a fully calibrated operational product are separate milestones. A user investigating change across the commissioning period should check processing and calibration information, not just acquisition dates or the visual similarity of the scenes.

Mission reference: ESA: Sentinel-1C cross-satellite interferometry demonstration. Editorial review: 2026-09-14.

The May 2025 calibration change matters to archive users

Copernicus announced on May 21, 2025 that calibration was being applied to Sentinel-1C SAR products starting May 19. The notice retained a quality disclaimer for the earlier processed dataset. This is a processing-history distinction: a picture acquired early in the mission should be evaluated using the documentation applicable to the actual product in hand.

Reference: Copernicus Data Space: calibrated products and early-data disclaimer.

Radar and optical images have different practical strengths

ESA lists the Sentinel-1 radar at 5.405 GHz and describes several acquisition modes with different swath widths and spatial resolutions. The wide-swath mode is not interchangeable with a narrow strip-map product. Select the mode that supports the analysis and retain its metadata; a moving ground-track marker cannot reveal which mode was used or deliver the measured radar data itself.

Reference: ESA: Sentinel-1 radar frequency and acquisition modes.

Reading this orbital snapshot

Based on TLE epoch: 2026-09-05. Estimated altitude ranges from 695 km at perigee to 697 km at apogee, a difference of 2 km. The orbital period is about 98.7 minutes. Eccentricity 0.00014 indicates a nearly circular path. In a two-body approximation, perigee speed is 1.00 times apogee speed. These are mean-element estimates, not instantaneous measurements. Distance per orbit uses an ellipse approximation.

Saved build snapshot. If a valid TLE is retrieved, this explanation and the orbit panel update together. Otherwise this dated snapshot is retained.

Ground track is not sensor coverage

An inclination of 98.18 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 81.8 degrees north and south. This is a retrograde orbit, moving against the direction of Earth rotation. The plotted line marks the point beneath the object. It does not represent camera coverage, radio reception, or a guaranteed visible pass.

Accuracy and missing information

The introductory record describes the build snapshot. The orbital snapshot explanation and orbit panel share any successfully retrieved TLE; check the displayed epoch. Reentered objects retain historical data only. Mission history is not rewritten by TLE updates. TLE/SGP4 positions are predictions and can change after maneuvers or updated observations. The 14-day stale-data cutoff is a display safeguard, not an accuracy guarantee. Local passes are geometric predictions, not a visibility forecast. No verified operator or mission status means unknown, not active. Do not use this catalog for collision avoidance or operational flight decisions.

Catalog sources: CelesTrak SATCAT: NORAD 62261 · GCAT: S62261 (source update 2026 Sep 4 2345:57). Supplementary metadata: SatNOGS DB, retrieved 2026-09-05T12:57:25.375Z. Page assembled 2026-09-15. GCAT phase codes describe trajectory phases, not mission health.

Learn more: TLE data · Perigee and apogee · Ground tracks · JOT (Jewawud Live Orbital Map)

Satellite Details