This article contrasts the core technical specifications of Landsat 9 and Sentinel-2, key Earth observation satellites for environmental monitoring.
Mission Overview
Landsat 9
- Launch Date: September 27, 2021
- Agencies: NASA and USGS
- Objective: Continuation of long-term Earth monitoring for environmental change, land use, and climate studies
Sentinel-2
- Sentinel-2A: June 23, 2015 | Sentinel-2B: March 7, 2017 | Sentinel-2C: September 5, 2024
- Agency: European Space Agency (ESA)
- Objective: Environmental monitoring and rapid disaster response support
Spatial Resolution
Landsat 9
- VNIR/SWIR: 30m
- Thermal Infrared: 100m
- Panchromatic: 15m (urban/agricultural detail)
Sentinel-2
- VNIR: 10m (agriculture/land cover)
- SWIR & Red Edge: 20m (vegetation/water monitoring)
- Atmospheric Bands: 60m (correction)
Temporal Resolution
Landsat 9
- 16-day revisit (long-term change detection)
Sentinel-2
- 5-day revisit (with dual satellites; dynamic process monitoring)
Radiometric Resolution
Landsat 9
- 14-bit (16,384 intensity levels)
- Enhanced sensitivity for subtle land-cover changes
Sentinel-2
- 12-bit (4,096 intensity levels)
- Suitable for most vegetation/land-cover applications
Data Volume & Accessibility
Landsat 9
- ~700 scenes/day
- Free access via USGS EarthExplorer, GloVis, LandsatLook
Sentinel-2
- ~1,500 scenes/day (dual satellites)
- Free access via Copernicus Open Access Hub, ESA SciHub, AWS
Key Advantages
Landsat 9
- Longitudinal data continuity (since 1972)
- Thermal infrared capabilities (surface heat/drought monitoring)
Sentinel-2
- Higher temporal frequency
- 290km swath width (large-area coverage)
Original Reference
