Development

The European Space Agency’s Vega-C rocket is fully assembled and positioned on the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, preparing for a highly anticipated liftoff scheduled for 4 December. This mission not only marks the return to flight for Vega-C but also carries the Sentinel-1C satellite, a vital component of the Copernicus Earth observation program.

NASA Earth Observatory NASA, IBM, and Forschungszentrum Jülich have released an expanded version of the open-source Prithvi Geospatial artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model to support a broader range of geographical applications. Now, with the inclusion of global data, the foundation model can support tracking changes in land use, monitoring disasters, and predicting crop yields worldwide.

The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) is revolutionizing our understanding of the planet's surface by using a state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer. Mounted on the International Space Station (ISS), EMIT focuses on detecting and analyzing mineral dust sources, which play a critical role in Earth’s climate and ecosystem dynamics.

The third Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite, Sentinel-1C, has embarked on its mission to advance Earth observation capabilities. Launched aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, the satellite took flight on 5 December 2024 at 22:20 CET (18:20 local time). This milestone extends the legacy of the Sentinel-1 program, providing essential radar imagery to monitor our planet's changing environment.