It is the first Sentinel-2 satellite launched as part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus Programme.

The satellite carries a wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands.

The satellite separated from the upper stage 54 min 43 s after liftoff.

[5] The satellite captured its first image 100 hours after launch, covering a 290 km (180 mi) wide swath from Sweden through Central Europe to Algeria.

[7]: 8 Between 20 and 23 January 2017 the spacecraft suffered a mission planning anomaly which resulted in loss of data from its instrument, the Multi-Spectral Imager.