As our quest for knowledge continues to grow, so does our demand for accurate satellite data to be used for numerous practical applications related to protecting and securing the environment.  
 
Responding to these needs, ESA's Living Planet Programme comprises a science and research element, which includes the Earth Explorer missions, and an Earth Watch element, which is designed to facilitate the delivery of Earth Observation data for use in operational services. Earth Watch includes the well-established meteorological missions with the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). In addition, the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) Sentinel missions, which form part of the GMES Space Component, will collect robust, long-term climate-relevant datasets. Together with other satellites, their combined data archives will be used to produce Essential Climate Variables for climate monitoring, modelling and prediction.
 
 

GOCE satellite

The Earth Explorer missions are designed to address key scientific challenges identified by the science community whilst demonstrating breakthrough technology in observing techniques. By involving the science community right from the beginning in the definition of new missions and introducing a peer-reviewed selection process, it is ensured that a resulting mission is developed efficiently and provides the exact data required by the user. This approach also gives Europe an excellent opportunity for international cooperation, both within the wide scientific domain and also in the technological development of new missions.
 
 

	ESA's ice mission

The family of Earth Explorer missions is a result of this strategy. Currently there are six missions in this category and a further three undergoing feasibility study:

GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer)
Launched on 17 March 2009, GOCE is set to provide the dataset required to accurately determine global and regional models of the Earth's gravity field and geoid. It will advance research in areas of ocean circulation, physics of the Earth's interior, geodesy and surveying, and sea-level change.

SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity)
Launched on 2 November 2009, SMOS will provide global maps of soil moisture and ocean salinity to further our understanding of the Earth's water cycle and contribute to climate, weather and extreme-event forecasting.

CryoSat
Due for launch on 25 February 2010, data from the CryoSat mission will determine variations in the thickness of the Earth's continental ice sheets and marine ice cover to further our understanding of the relationship between ice and global warming. The CryoSat-2 satellite replaces the original CryoSat, which was lost at launch in 2005.

Swarm
Due for launch in 2011, Swarm is a constellation of three satellites to study the dynamics of the magnetic field to gain new insights into the Earth system by improving our understanding of the Earth's interior and its environment.

ADM-Aeolus (Atmospheric Dynamics Mission)
Due for launch in 2011, ADM-Aeolus will make novel advances in global wind-profile observation and will provide much-needed information to improve weather forecasting. ADM-Aeolus is seen as a mission that will pave the way for future operational meteorological satellites dedicated to measuring the Earth's wind fields.

EarthCARE (Earth Clouds Aerosols and Radiation Explorer)
Due for launch 2013, EarthCARE is a joint European-Japanese mission that aims to improve the representation and understanding of the Earth's radiative balance in climate and numerical weather forecast models.

Future Earth Explorers
In 2005, ESA released the latest opportunity for scientists from ESA Member States and Canada to submit proposals for ideas to be assessed for the next in the series of Earth Explorer missions. As a result, 24 proposals were evaluated and a shortlist of six missions underwent assessment study. The six candidate missions were presented to the science community at a User Consultation Meeting in January 2009. Subsequently, three missions - BIOMASS, CoReH2O and PREMIER have been selected for the next stage of development (Feasibility Study). This process will lead to the launch of ESA's seventh Earth Explorer mission in the 2016 timeframe.
 
 

Artist's impression of Sentinel-1

Sentinel missions
ESA is currently developing a suite of new mission families called Sentinels, which aim to serve both the observational needs of the European GMES initiative, as well as broader requirements for climate monitoring and prediction. The five concepts for the Sentinel families include: the C-band radar Sentinel-1 mission for land and ocean services; the high-resolution optical imaging Sentinel-2 mission for land services; Sentinel-3 carrying an altimeter, optical and infrared radiometers for ocean and global land monitoring; and Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5 for atmospheric composition monitoring from geostationary and polar orbits, respectively.
 
 

	MetOp

MTG (Meteosat Third Generation)
The MTG will take the relay in 2015 from Meteosat 11, the last of a series of four satellites of the MSG (Meteosat Second Generation). This is a joint project between ESA and EUMETSAT that followed the success of the first generation Meteosat satellites. The first of four MSG satellites was launched in 2002, entering into service with EUMETSAT in early 2004 and now renamed Meteosat-8. The second MSG satellite, renamed Meteosat-9, was launched in December 2005.

Future Eumetsat Polar System
Launched in October 2006, MetOp-A is Europe's first polar-orbiting satellite dedicated to operational meteorology. It represents the European contribution to a new co-operative venture with the United States providing data to monitor climate and improve weather forecasting. MetOp is a series of three satellites to be launched sequentially to deliver data until at least 2020 and forms the space segment of EUMETSAT's Polar System (EPS). Preparations have started for the next generation of this EUMETSAT Polar System, the so-called Post-EPS.
 
 
Data into services
Turning data into operational services requires that long-term relationships are developed between research institutes, service organisations and user communities. ESA's Data User Element (DUE) aims to raise awareness with respect to the applicability of Earth Observation in day-to-day operations. ESA's Earth Observation Market Development (EOMD) programme complements the DUE by providing the framework within which to organise end-to-end service chains capable of leveraging Earth Observation data into commercial tools.
 
 
Last update: 22 January 2010