Background

Sentinel-2 is a pair of European Space Agency Earth-observation satellites, Sentinel-2A launched in 2015 and Sentinel-2B in 2017, providing multispectral optical imagery at 10-metre resolution. Under ESA's Copernicus open-data policy the imagery is free within hours of acquisition, making it the default starting point for open-source conflict monitoring by journalists and researchers rather than a tool restricted to state intelligence agencies.

The satellites revisit any given point roughly every five days, improved to two to three days when both spacecraft's passes are combined. That resolution is enough to show cratering and impact scars but not sub-building damage, so it can confirm a strike reached a site's perimeter without settling what inside it was hit.

Sentinel-2 imagery has been used repeatedly through the Iran conflict: in April 2026 to identify roughly 33 IRGC fast-attack craft clustered off Kargan, and the same open, low-latency model has been applied well beyond this war, including to document a nationwide fall in Cuban nighttime lighting.

Common Questions

What is the Sentinel-2 satellite and who can access its images?

Sentinel-2 is an ESA Earth-observation satellite pair providing free 10-metre optical imagery. All data is publicly accessible within hours of acquisition via the Copernicus Open Access Hub.Source: ESA

How was Sentinel-2 used to track IRGC boats in 2026?

OSINT analysts used freely available Sentinel-2 imagery to identify approximately 33 IRGC fast-attack craft clustered at Kargan in the Persian Gulf in late April 2026, providing public evidence of Iranian military positioning.Source: event

What resolution can Sentinel-2 images achieve?

Sentinel-2 captures imagery at 10 metres per pixel in its visible and near-infrared bands, sufficient to distinguish vessel types, detect damage to buildings, and monitor port activity.Source: ESA

Did satellite imagery confirm a strike on Bushehr?

Yes. Al Jazeera's open-source unit compared Sentinel-2 passes from 7 and 12 July 2026 and found newly formed impact scars inside the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant complex boundary, though the 10-metre resolution could not confirm whether the reactor itself was hit.Source: Lowdown

Source Material

Sentinel-2 Mission

How the World Sees Them

EU / ESA

Sentinel is a civilian scientific programme; ESA does not restrict imagery use but has faced calls to introduce latency windows during conflicts to prevent tactical exploitation.

Iran / IRGC

Free Sentinel data means any analyst can track IRGC boat movements in coastal areas; the satellite has effectively ended the concept of tactical concealment in open water.

OSINT community

Sentinel-2 is the default starting point for open-source conflict monitoring; its free access and near-real-time availability democratise satellite intelligence.