European Resilience from Space–Earth Observation

The European Resilience from Space (ERS) initiative is a strategic effort by ESA and its Member States to strengthen Europe’s resilience, security and strategic autonomy through space-based capabilities and to address critical capability gaps jointly and rapidly. ERS-EO is the Earth-observation pillar of the ERS initiative.

The purpose of ERS-EO is to ensure that Europe has reliable, secure and timely access to independent space-based information on developments on land, at sea and in the atmosphere. Earth observation can provide critical situational awareness in response to natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies, security incidents and geopolitical crises, supporting authorised users in making informed decisions.

ERS-EO will therefore focus on closing key European capability gaps through very-high-resolution optical and radar sensing, and potentially advanced sensor technologies, combined with rapid revisit capabilities enabled by large Earth observation constellations. The programme will provide guaranteed, secure and rapid access to data, with a security posture designed to meet both civilian and defence requirements.

The overall objective is to establish a resilient, sovereign and responsive European capability that can deliver trusted information when and where it is most needed.