The Copernicus Sentinel Expansion Missions are a major leap forward in Europe’s Earth observation capabilities. With the United Kingdom’s re-entry to the EU’s Copernicus programme, funding has been confirmed to complete the development of all six Copernicus Sentinel Expansion Missions, as discussed this week during the International Astronautical Congress taking place in Milan, Italy.

Playing a huge role in moderating the climate, oceans are fundamental to the functioning of our planet. Understanding more about how seawater temperatures are rising and how oceans are absorbing excess atmospheric carbon dioxide, as well as knock-on issues such as ocean acidification, is key for understanding climate change and for taking effective action.A recent scientific paper highlights just how satellites are becoming increasingly important in providing unique information on ocean health to guide climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.

New research, based largely on information from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 and ESA’s CryoSat satellite missions, has revealed alarming findings about the state of Antarctica's ice shelves: 40% of these floating shelves have significantly reduced in volume over the past quarter-century. While this underscores the accelerating impacts of climate change on the world's southernmost continent, the picture of ice deterioration is mixed.

The Arctic, once again at the forefront of climate change, is experiencing disproportionately higher temperature increases compared to the rest of the planet, triggering a series of cascading effects known as Arctic amplification.As concerns continue to grow, satellites developed by ESA have become indispensable tools in understanding and addressing the complex dynamics at play and the far-reaching consequences for the environment and human societies.

CIMR satellite with reflector deployed

CIMR satellite

CIMR patch

CIMR for monitoring changes in the Arctic

The Arctic is at the forefront of the climate crisis, experiencing disproportionately higher temperature increases compared to the rest of the world. For example, climate models suggest that by the mid-21st century, the Arctic Ocean will be ice-free during the summer.

Human activities, principally through the emission of greenhouse gases, are unequivocally causing global temperatures to rise – now reaching 1.1°C above the average temperature in 1850–1900. As a consequence, widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere are already causing weather and climate extremes across the globe.

The main goal of the CIMR mission is to monitor changes in the Arctic, which is dominated by the Arctic Ocean. The majority of the Arctic Ocean is covered by sea ice for most of the year but due to climate change, the extent and thickness of this ice is reducing, leaving more of the surface of the Arctic Ocean exposed to the atmosphere.

At 14 metres high – as high as a four-floor building – the Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) satellite is large. The reflector alone is eight metres wide, and when it unfolds after launch, it is equal to a size of a 50 square metre apartment. The whole satellite weighs 2000 kg.