Sentinel-2

Sentinel-2 is a pair of European Space Agency (ESA) Earth-observation satellites (Sentinel-2A launched 2015, Sentinel-2B launched 2017) that provide multispectral optical imagery of Earth's surface at 10-metre resolution. Under ESA's open-data policy, all Sentinel-2 imagery is freely available within hours of acquisition, making it the backbone of open-source geospatial intelligence (OSINT) for journalists, researchers, and conflict monitors.

In late April 2026, Sentinel-2 imagery of the Kargan coastal area was used by OSINT analysts to identify approximately 33 IRGC fast-attack craft clustered in Persian Gulf waters — a significant military intelligence finding derived entirely from publicly available satellite data. The satellites revisit any given point on Earth every five days under normal conditions, though coverage can be improved through coordinated tasking with Sentinel-2B.

The use of Sentinel-2 and similar commercial satellite constellations has fundamentally changed The Information landscape of modern conflict: activity that would previously have required classified reconnaissance satellites is now visible to any analyst with internet access and basic GIS skills. During the Iran conflict, Sentinel-2 data has been used to assess damage at nuclear sites, track tanker movements in coastal shallows, and monitor port infrastructure.