Sentinel-3 ground segment

Ground stations, both S-Band and X-Band, are shared with Sentinel 1, 2 and other missions, and are managed by ESA as part of their service to EUMETSAT, under the respective agreements with the EC.

EUMETSAT has the responsibility for the operation of the Sentinel-3 Marine Centre, as well as the operation of the Flight Operations segment, spacecraft operations, for routine operations.

Ground segment sites

Core ground segment elements

• ESA and EUMETSAT Flight Operations Segment (FOSs): responsible for all aspects of the Sentinel satellite flight operations, including spacecraft monitoring and control.
• Core Ground Stations: where the Sentinel X-Band data are down linked and the NRT land products are generated.
• Offline Land Processing and Archiving Centres (PACs): where systematic offline data processing is performed. All data products are archived in a long term archive and are available online in a rolling archive for access by users.
• Marine Centre: where NRT and offline marine products are systematically generated and the marine calibration, validation, quality control and mission performance activities are carried out. Marine products/data are archived in a long-term archive, made available in an online rolling archive and via EUMETCast.
• Mission Performance Centre (MPC): responsible for land calibration, validation, quality control and mission performance activities and for support to the marine mission performance activities.
• Sentinel Precise Orbit Determination (POD) service: providing precise orbits for the offline processing.
• Copernicus Space Component Wide Area Network (CSC WAN): connects all centres and provides disseminated data products to the land users.