# Sentinel-3C

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ESA Earth observation satellite

Sentinel-3C Vector drawing of the Sentinel-3 Mission type Earth observation Operator ESA · EUMETSAT Website Sentinel-3 (ESA) Mission duration Planned: 7 years Spacecraft properties Spacecraft type Sentinel-3 Bus Prima Manufacturer Thales Alenia Space Launch mass 1,250 kg (2,756 lb)[1] Dry mass 1,150 kg (2,535 lb)[2] Dimensions 3.9 × 2.2 × 2.2 m (12.8 × 7.2 × 7.2 ft)[1] Power 2,300 watts[2] Start of mission Launch date 2026 (planned) Rocket Vega-C Launch site Kourou, ELV Contractor Avio Orbital parameters Reference system Geocentric Regime Sun-synchronous Transponders Band S band (TT&C support) X band (science data) Bandwidth S band: 64 kbit/s uplink, 1 Mbit/s downlink X band: 2 × 280 Mbit/s Instruments OLCI Ocean and Land Colour Instrument SLSTR Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer SRAL Synthetic Aperture Radar Altimeter MWR Microwave Radiometer DORIS Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite LRR Laser Retro-Reflector GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System Sentinel-3 ← Sentinel-3B Sentinel-3D → Sentinel ← Sentinel-6B CO2M-A (Sentinel-7A) →

**Sentinel-3C** is a future European [Earth observation satellite](/source/Earth_observation_satellite) dedicated to [oceanography](/source/Oceanography) which is expected to launch in 2026.[3][4] It is part of the [Copernicus Programme](/source/Copernicus_Programme), and the third of four planned [Sentinel-3](/source/Sentinel-3) satellites (after [Sentinel-3B](/source/Sentinel-3B), launched on 16 February 2018).[5][6][7][8][9][10]

## See also

- [List of European Space Agency programmes and missions](/source/List_of_European_Space_Agency_programmes_and_missions)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-eoportal_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-eoportal_1-1) ["Copernicus: Sentinel-3"](https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/c-missions/copernicus-sentinel-3). *eoPortal*. European Space Agency. Retrieved 25 April 2018.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-wmo-sat_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-wmo-sat_2-1) ["Satellite: Sentinel-3B"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180218031355/http://www.wmo-sat.info/oscar/satellites/view/401). [World Meteorological Organization](/source/World_Meteorological_Organization). Archived from [the original](https://www.wmo-sat.info/oscar/satellites/view/401) on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Sentinel-3 | CNES"](https://cnes.fr/en/projects/sentinel-3). *cnes.fr*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250720021424/https://cnes.fr/en/projects/sentinel-3) from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["À Cannes, Thales Alenia Space prépare le futur de la surveillance des océans avec Sentinel-3D"](https://tribuca.net/numerique_145659338-a-cannes-thales-alenia-space-prepare-le-futur-de-la-surveillance-des-oceans-avec-sentinel-3d/). *Tribuca.net* (in French). 20 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Sentinel 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D"](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/sentinel-3.htm). *Gunter's Space Page*. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Sentinel-3C | Vega C | Next Spaceflight"](https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/973/). *nextspaceflight.com*. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Sentinel-3"](https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-3). *www.esa.int*. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Facts and figures"](https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-3/Facts_and_figures). *www.esa.int*. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Search"](https://www.esa.int/esearch?q=Sentinel-3C). *www.esa.int*. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Launches secured for five Sentinel satellites"](https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Launches_secured_for_five_Sentinel_satellites). *www.esa.int*. Retrieved 19 October 2025.

## External links

- [Spaceflight portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Spaceflight)

- [Sentinel-3 program website](http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-3) by ESA

- [Sentinel-3 website](https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/web/sentinel/missions/sentinel-3) by the Copernicus Programme

- [Real-time orbital tracking](https://uphere.space/satellites/43437) - [uphere.space](https://uphere.space)

- [Sentinel-3C and Sentinel-3D side by side](https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2024/03/Sentinel-3C_and_Sentinel-3D_side_by_side)

v t e Copernicus Programme List of Sentinel satellites Sentinel satellites Classes Sentinel-1 Sentinel-2 Sentinel-3 Sentinel-4 Sentinel-5 Sentinel-6 CO2M (Sentinel-7) Launches Sentinel-1A (Apr 2014) Sentinel-2A (Jun 2015) Sentinel-3A (Feb 2016) Sentinel-1B (Apr 2016) Sentinel-2B (Mar 2017) Sentinel-5P (Oct 2017) Sentinel-3B (Apr 2018) Sentinel-6A (Nov 2020) Sentinel-2C (Sep 2024) Sentinel-1C (Dec 2024) Sentinel-4A (Jul 2025) Sentinel-5A (Aug 2025) Sentinel-1D (Nov 2025) Sentinel-6B (Nov 2025) Planned Sentinel-2D Sentinel-3C CO2M-A (Sentinel-7A) CO2M-B (Sentinel-7B) CO2M-C (Sentinel-7C) Contributing missions SAR ERS-2 Envisat COSMO-SkyMed ICEYE Radarsat-2 TerraSAR-X TanDEM-X Paz Optical Balkan Constellation Deimos-2 Disaster Monitoring Constellation EnMAP Envisat ERS-2 FOREST HiROS HiVE Hydra Hyperfield Pléiades Prisma Proba-V RapidEye Ingenio SPOT VENµS Altimetry Envisat CryoSat Ocean Surface Topography Mission SARAL Atmospheric CALIPSO Envisat Merlin Meteosat Second Generation MetOp Category Commons

v t e European Space Agency Space Centres Guiana Esrange Launch vehicles Ariane 6 Vega C Facilities Space Operations Centre Space Research and Technology Centre Centre for Earth Observation European Astronaut Centre Space Astronomy Centre Space Applications and Telecommunications Centre Concurrent Design Facility Space Telescope European Coordinating Facility Optical Ground Station Flyeye Phi Lab Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre Communications ESTRACK European Data Relay System Programmes Science Programme Cosmic Vision Terrae Novae ExoMars FutureEO FLPP PRIDE Space Safety Programme Copernicus Predecessors European Launcher Development Organisation European Space Research Organisation Related topics Arianespace Avio ESA TV EUMETSAT EUSPA EU Space Programme Projects and missions Science Astronomy & cosmology Cos-B (1975–1982) IUE (1978–1996) EXOSAT (1983–1986) Hipparcos (1989–1993) Hubble Space Telescope (1990–present) Eureca (1992–1993) ISO (1995–1998) XMM-Newton (1999–present) INTEGRAL (2002–2025) CoRoT (2006–2013) Planck (2009–2013) Herschel (2009–2013) Gaia (2013–2025) CHEOPS (2019–present) James Webb Space Telescope (2021–present) Euclid (2023–present) PLATO (2027) QUVIK (2028) ARIEL (2031) ARRAKIHS (2030s) Athena (2035) LISA (2035) Earth observation Meteosat First Generation (1977–1997) ERS-1 (1991–2000) ERS-2 (1995–2011) Meteosat Second Generation (2002–present) Envisat (2002–2012) Double Star (2003–2007) MetOp (2006–present) GOCE (2009–2013) SMOS (2009–present) CryoSat-2 (2010–present) Swarm (2013–present) Copernicus (2014–present) Sentinel-1 (2014–present) 1A 1B 1C 1D Sentinel-2 (2015–present) 2A 2B 2C Sentinel-3 (2016–present) 3A 3B Sentinel-5 Precursor (2017–present) ADM-Aeolus (2018–2023) ICEYE (2018–present) Phi-Sat-1 (2020–present) Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich (2020–present) Meteosat Third Generation (2022–present) MTG-I1 (2022–present) MTG-S1/Sentinel-4A (2025–present) MTG-I2 (2026) FOREST (2022–present) Phi-Sat-2 (2024–present) Hyperfield (2024–present) EarthCARE (2024–present) HiVE (2025–present) IRIDE (2025–present) Biomass (2025–present) MetOp-SG (2025–present) MetOp-SG A1/Sentinel-5A (2025–present) MetOp-SG B1 (2026) Sentinel-6B (2025–present) HydroGNSS (2025–present) Balkan Constellation (2025-present) Atlantic Constellation (2025-present) VIREON (2026–present) ALTIUS (2026) FLEX (2026) FORUM (2027) CO2M (Sentinel-7) (2027) NanoMagSat (2027) Arctic Ocean Surveillance (2028) Tango (2028) EPS-Sterna (2029) Harmony (2029) SOVA-S (2030) Wivern (2032) Hibidis (future) Planetary science Giotto (1985–1992) Huygens (1997–2005) SMART-1 (2003–2006) Mars Express (2003–present) Rosetta / Philae (2004–2016) Venus Express (2005–2014) Trace Gas Orbiter (2016–present) BepiColombo (2018–present) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (2023–present) Hera (2024–present) MoonLIGHT (2026) M-Argo (2027) LUMIO (2027) Ramses (2028) Rosalind Franklin rover (2028) Comet Interceptor (2028) Máni (2029) Argonaut (2030) EnVision (2031) Solar physics & space weather ISEE-2 (1977–1987) Ulysses (1990–2009) SOHO (1995–present) Cluster II (2000–2024) Solar Orbiter (2020–present) SMILE (2026–present) HENON (2026) SWING (2027) SAWA (2028) Aurora-D (2030) Vigil (2031) Human spaceflight European Astronaut Corps (1983–present) Spacelab (1983–1998) Euromir (1994–1995) ISS contributions ELIPS (2001–present) Columbus (2008–present) Columbus External Payload Facility (2008–present) Automated Transfer Vehicle (2008–2015) Cupola (2010-present) Bartolomeo (2020-present) European Robotic Arm (2021-present) Artemis program European Service Module (2022-present) LEO Cargo Return Service (2028) Telecommunications and navigation GEOS 2 (1978) Olympus-1 (1989–1993) Artemis (2001–2017) EGNOS (2005–present) GIOVE-A (2005–present) GIOVE-B (2008–present) HYLAS-1 (2010–present) Galileo IOV (2011–present) Galileo FOC (2014–present) European Data Relay System (2016–present) ESAIL (2020–2025) Spainsat NG (2025–present) Celeste (LEO-PNT) (2026–present) Lunar Pathfinder (2026) IRIS² (2027) Moonlight Programme (2028) Electra (future) HydRON (future) Technology demonstration and education CAT-1 (1979) YES (1997) PROBA-1 (2001–present) YES2 (2007) PROBA-2 (2009–present) PROBA-V (2013–present) ESTCube-1 (2013–2015) TechDemoSat-1 (2014–2019) GOMX-3 (2015–2016) LISA Pathfinder (2015–2017) e-st@r-II (2016–2024) GOMX-4B (2018–2024) OPS-SAT (2019–2024) SIMBA (2020–2024) PICASSO (2020–2024) RadCube (2021–2024) Sunstorm (2021–2024) PRETTY (2023–2024) MANTIS (2023–2025) EIRSAT-1 (2023–present) MicroHETsat (2023–present) PROBA-V CubeSat Companion (2023–present) JoeySat (2023–present) Intuition-1 (2023–present) YPSat-1 (2024) PROBA-3 (2024–present) ISTSat-1 (2024–present) AIX (2025–present) DUTHSat-2 (2025–present) GENA-OT (2025–present) MICE-1 (2025–present) PHASMA (2025–present) ERMIS (2026–present) OptiSat (2026–present) PeakSat (2026–present) Hellenic Space Dawn (2026–present) FrontierSat (2026–present) CubeSpec (2026) GOMX-5 (2026) ΣYNDEO‑3 (2026) 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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sentinel-3C](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinel-3C) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinel-3C?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.