The European Space Agency has successfully launched the first series of satellites that will form the nucleus of its Copernicus monitoring system, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The monitoring system is aimed at providing quicker and better information regarding natural disasters and other catastrophes, according to the report.
A Russian Soyuz rocket strapped with ESA's Sentinel-1A satellite launched from French Guiana on April 3.
The satellite unfolded its antennae and locked them into place earlier today, April 4, and has been placed into orbit, the space agency confirmed.
Five other satellites will be launched in the next couple of years to collect and share data with ground stations for distribution. The information could be useful for government ministries and local rescue workers.
The satellites will help monitor oil spills, provide information on landslides, floods, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, and assist ship routing as well, according to AP.
In 2015, ESA will put into place a stationary space-based hub through which the satellite will be able to relay information by using laser data transfer.
This means that even when the satellite is out of sight of a ground station, it will be able to provide quick data through the hub, which can then be sent "almost immediately" to Earth, according to AP.
Head of Space Systems at ESA, Francois Auque, said that the Copernicus program and the new satellite, represents a "new era in Earth observation."
"With the satellite's powerful radar instrument - the heart of the mission - and its all-weather and round-the-clock capabilities, Airbus Defense and Space is making a decisive contribution to even more effective operational Earth observation that will benefit humans and nature more than ever," Auque said, according to AP. "The instrument will also deliver unprecedented data to scientists."
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