The satellite that launched Europe's Copernicus Earth observation program was supposed to last seven years. It kept working for twelve.
Sentinel-1A, the first Copernicus satellite, ended its mission on June 29, 2026. ESA's Operations Centre in Germany confirmed the shutdown. The satellite outlived its original design by five years and became even more critical after its sister satellite failed.
A radar eye that never blinked
Sentinel-1A launched on April 3, 2014 from French Guiana. It carried an advanced C-band synthetic aperture radar that could see through clouds and darkness. This meant it delivered high-resolution images of Earth day and night, in any weather.
The satellite tracked Arctic sea ice, monitored glacier movement, detected oil spills, mapped floods, and supported disaster response worldwide. Its data became an indispensable tool for environmental monitoring and public safety.
Stepping up when its sister failed
In 2021, Sentinel-1B suffered a power system failure. That left Sentinel-1A to shoulder most of the responsibility for maintaining Europe's radar Earth observation capability. The satellite that was already past its planned mission duration kept going for five more years.
ESA made all Sentinel-1A data freely available to users worldwide. The millions of radar images it acquired support scientific research, climate studies, agricultural monitoring, maritime security, and humanitarian relief efforts. The archive will continue to inform research and decision-making for decades.
The final images
Two of the last radar images Sentinel-1A returned before retirement captured western Iceland and Melbourne, Australia. In the weeks before the shutdown, mission controllers carried out complex orbital maneuvers to prepare the satellite for its final state.
Sentinel-1A's retirement does not leave a gap. The mission continues with Sentinel-1C and Sentinel-1D, ensuring Europe maintains continuous radar observation of Earth. The satellite that started it all has stopped transmitting, but the program it launched keeps watching.
