CLS’s VIGISAT station, based in Brest (France), receives images from the Sentinel-1 satellite constellation.
VIGISAT becomes the first French collaborative station and will continue to provide data and products with near real-time positioning services and sea states measurements for maritime surveillance applications.
From the beginning, CLS has been involved in the Sentinel -1A mission. Indeed, CLS contributed to the development of S-1 processor through the conception and development of Ocean level-2 products to measure sea surface conditions, as well as sensor performance monitoring under the “Sentinel-1 Mission performance Centre” ( MPC- S1) , located in CLS Brest. Since the beginning of 2013, CLS manages and operates the Sentinel-1 Mission Performance Centre in partnership with top-level experts.
With Sentinel -1 and CLS expertise , We now have the opportunity to observe the earth and get radar images of any place of the world. The Sentinel -1A satellite has already demonstrated its ability to be reprogrammed in an emergency, in case of a major event such as the flooding that affected Namibia. It will also be used to monitor our maritime space, detect oil slicks , help track vessels, fight against illegal trafficking ( illegal fishing , piracy, etc. ), understand ocean evolutions and support authorities in case of natural disasters.
