Copernicus Sentinel-4 (ESA / EUMETSAT)
From geostationary orbit on MTG-S1, Sentinel-4 measures air pollution over Europe and North Africa every hour (ESA).
Image: NASA (iss071e207494).
Last reviewed: 2 sources cited
Explain Like I'm 10
- Sentinel-4 is a space tool that watches the air over Europe.
- It stays above the same spot and checks the air every hour.
- This helps warn people when the air is dirty.
The Five W's of Copernicus Sentinel-4 (ESA / EUMETSAT)
Who
ESA built it for the EU's Copernicus program; EUMETSAT operates the MTG-S1 satellite that carries it.
Source: ESA, Sentinel-4
What
An ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared spectrometer that measures pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and A gas high in the sky that blocks harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun. Near the ground, ozone is a pollutant. Glossary.
Source: ESA, Sentinel-4
When
Launched on 1 July 2025; first images of air pollutants were released in October 2025.
Source: ESA, Sentinel-4 offers first glimpses of air pollutants
Where
A high orbit, about 22,000 miles up, where a satellite moves with Earth's spin and stays over the same spot. Glossary, watching Europe and northern Africa.
Source: ESA, Sentinel-4
Why
Air pollution changes through the day, and hourly data can improve air quality forecasts.
Source: ESA, Sentinel-4
Impact Statement
Agency solution · active
Sentinel-4's first images showed pollution hotspots such as Italy's Po Valley. It joins NASA's TEMPO and Korea's GEMS in watching air quality hourly from geostationary The curved path an object takes as it travels around a planet, moon or star, like a satellite circling Earth. Glossary.
Source: ESA, Sentinel-4 offers first glimpses of air pollutants
For Further Information: ESA, Sentinel-4
Sentinel-4 watches Europe's air pollution every hour from 36,000 km up.
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
Better hourly air quality forecasts help people with asthma and other conditions plan their day.
Source: ESA, Sentinel-4
For Nature
Tracking pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and ozone shows where emissions harm A community of living things and the place they live, like a reef or a forest, all depending on each other. Glossary and crops.
Source: ESA, Sentinel-4
Want to go deeper? ESA has the full Sentinel-4 story.
For Further InformationRelated Solutions
More solutions like this one, matched by meaning.
For Teachers
Discussion questions
- What is Copernicus Sentinel-4 (ESA / EUMETSAT), and what problem does it help solve?
- Who is behind Copernicus Sentinel-4 (ESA / EUMETSAT), and where does the work happen?
- How does Copernicus Sentinel-4 (ESA / EUMETSAT) help both people and nature? Use one fact from this page.
Sources are listed with each fact in the Five W's above.
Cite This Page
APA
Saving Planets. (n.d.). Copernicus Sentinel-4 (ESA / EUMETSAT). https://www.savingplanets.com/Sentinel-4.html
MLA
"Copernicus Sentinel-4 (ESA / EUMETSAT)." Saving Planets, https://www.savingplanets.com/Sentinel-4.html.