Europe's Sentinel-3C satellite returns first images of Earth

Europe's Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite has delivered its first images of Earth, showing the Alps, the Canadian Arctic and the Caribbean. Its instruments have also begun measuring ocean height and Greenland's ice sheet; full commissioning will take about five more months.

• Images were captured on September 29–30 by ocean and land color instruments
• The satellite measures ocean surface height and Greenland's ice sheet elevation
• Sentinel-3C is the third spacecraft in the Copernicus Sentinel-3 series
• Full operations begin after about five more months of testing