S5P PDGS
Sentinel-5 Precursor – also known by its abbreviated names Sentinel-5P or S5P – is the first Copernicus mission dedicated to observation of the earth's atmosphere. The satellite carries the innovative Tropomi instrument, which maps a multitude of trace gases such as nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, sulphur dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide and aerosols. All these trace gases influence the air we breathe and thus our health as well as the climate.
With its swath width of 2600 km S5P maps the entire planet daily. Via the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) the information provided by this satellite mission will be used for air quality predictions and decision support.
Tropomi, the spectrometer on board S5P, maps the global atmosphere daily with a resolution up to 7 km × 3.5 km. Urban air pollution can be detected at this resolution.
The mission also contributes to services like monitoring volcanic ash for flight safety and providing warning of the high UV radiation values that can damage skin. Scientists worldwide also use the data to improve knowledge of important atmospheric processes associated with the climate and the formation of ozone holes.
Sentinel-5P is the result of close collaboration between ESA, the European Commission, the Netherlands Space agency (NSO), industry, data users and scientists. The mission was conceived and realized by a consortium of 30 businesses under the leadership of the Airbus Defence and Space UK and NL company.
Sentinel-5P was developed to close the data gaps between the Envisat satellites – particularly the Sciamachy instrument – and the launch of Sentinel-5 and to augment the measurement data from the GOME-2 instrument on MetOp satellites.
Starting in 2025 the Sentinel-4 geostationary mission as well as the Sentinel-5 polar orbiting mission will monitor the composition of the atmosphere for the Copernicus Atmosphere Service. Both missions will be carried out on meteorological satellites operated by Eumetsat. The Sentinel-5P mission also plays a key role in monitoring air pollution.
As part of the ESA financed Sentinel-5P mission a complete global record of the composition of the atmosphere is provided over the course of a day. S5P delivers daily global measurements of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, aerosols and cloud properties.
From these data the DLR Earth Observation Center (EOC) produces various products that are available at the latest three hours after measurement. The DLR Earth Observation Center (EOC) is responsible for the Payload Data Ground Segment, PDGS, of the Sentinel-5P mission and for assessment of the satellite data.