A spectacular video has been released of the European Space Agency's Sentinel 3A satellite crossing paths with the ethereal aurora borealis just minutes after launching.
The Sentinel 3A was launched with the Russian-made ‘Rokot’ vehicle from Plesetsk in north Russia on February 16.
This amazing footage was captured from a hilltop in northern Finland 1,000km away just six minutes after liftoff, and shows the rocket blasting through the flickering green flares of the Northern Lights.
The Sentinel 3A, the third satellite in a series being launched under the EU’s Copernicus environment scanning program, will orbit at a height of 800km and has an operational lifespan of seven years.
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The satellite’s first signals from space were received after 92 minutes via the ESA’s Kiruna ground station in Sweden.