Sentinel-1B was lifted off on 25th of April 2016 on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 21:02 GMT (23:02 CEST). It is a second twin satellite of a pair that carries advanced radar sensor SAR, which will provide information about sea ice and oil spills, map for forest, water and soil management, monitor land for motion risks, and support humanitarian aid and crisis response. The pair will cover the whole planet every six days and image Earth’s surface through cloud and rain, whether it is day or night. During ascent, the satellite’s 12 m-long radar antenna and two 10 m-long solar wings were folded up to fit into the Soyuz rocket’s protective fairing. The deployment was particularly complicated because of the sizes involved. After its launch, Sentinel-1B followed a carefully planned sequence over 10 hours to open its large radar antenna and solar wings. “We had a long night, staying awake to make sure the radar and solar panels deployed properly after the satellite had separated from the rocket. All went well and the teams and I are extremely happy that we now have two Sentinel-1 satellites safely in orbit.” All of this was commanded by the team at ESA’s mission control in Germany. Based on the information from: www.esa.int