European Space Agency’s Sentinel-4 Mission Launches with Teledyne Space Imaging CCD Technology

Sentinel-4, mounted on the Meteosat Third Generation Sounder (MTG-S) satellite, successfully launched on 1 July at 17:04 (EDT) from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US, as part of the European Union’s Copernicus programme, led by the European Commission (EC) in partnership with ESA.

This marks the second launch in just one week featuring detector technology from Teledyne Space Imaging. The Japanese Global Observing SATellite for Greenhouse gases and Water cycle (GOSAT-GW) mission, which launched on 28 June 2025, included two CIS120 sensors from Teledyne.

Mission Purpose

Sentinel-4 incorporates two different types of CCD sensors within its Ultraviolet-Visible-Near-Infrared (UVN) imaging spectrometer instrument. The CCD374 sensor operates at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths, while the CCD376 sensor provides images in the near-infrared wavelength. From its geostationary orbit, the Sentinel-4 mission will deliver data on a range of trace gases, including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide.

The Sentinel-4 mission will transmit data on tropospheric constituents over Europe every hour for use in air quality applications and monitoring projects on the ground. This data will provide valuable insights into climate, air pollutants, and ozone/surface ultraviolet (UV) applications, supporting ongoing research into protecting public health.