Mission overview
Launched on 1 March 2002 on an Ariane-5 rocket from Europe’s spaceport in French Guyana, Envisat was the largest Earth observation spacecraft ever built.
The mission
Envisat was the largest Earth observation spacecraft ever built. The mission delivered thousands of images and a wealth of data used to study the workings of the Earth system, including insights into factors contributing to climate change. The end of the mission was declared on 9 May 2012, but ten years of Envisat’s archived data continue to be exploited for studying our planet.
The launch
Date: 01 March 2002
Site: Kourou, French Guiana
Rocket: Ariane 5
8-tonne
satellite
10
instruments
10 yrs
in orbit
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Articles liés
Envisat instruments
Envisat had 10 instruments to provide continuous observation and monitoring of Earth's land, atmosphere, oceans and ice caps:
Mission milestones
09/05/2012ESA declares end of mission for Envisat12/04/2012Envisat services interrupted05/04/2012Satellite observes rapid ice shelf disintegration in Antarctic13/02/2012ESA tracks powerful storm making landfall23/01/2012Satellites detect abundance of fresh water in the Arctic23/09/2011Around the ...
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Dernières actualités
Greenland subglacial flood bursts through ice sheet surface
Using data from several Earth-observing satellites, including ESA’s CryoSat and the Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 missions, scientists have discovered that a huge flood beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet surged upwards with such force that it fractured the ice sheet, resulting in a vast quantity of meltwater bursting through the ice surface.
Sea ice lows high on the agenda
Satellite observations reveal that the extent of sea ice in the Arctic is once again hovering near record lows for this time of year – underscoring a troubling and persistent trend. This issue is a key topic at ESA’s Living Planet Symposium in Vienna, where scientists are emphasising the critical role that ESA’s Climate Change Initiative Sea Ice Project and CryoSat mission have had in helping to underpin these findings.Looking ahead, the ability to monitor polar sea ice is in safe hands, as the development of the new CRISTAL mission is progressing well and the first satellite will be ready for launch in the second half of 2027.
Maps to improve forest biomass estimates
Fluctuations in the carbon-rich biomass held within the world’s forests can contribute to, or slow, climate change. A series of new maps of above ground biomass, generated using space observations, is set to help our understanding of global carbon cycling and support forest management, emissions reduction and sustainable development policy goals.
Sea surface warming faster than expected
Satellite observations show that sea-surface temperatures over the past four decades have been getting warmer at an accelerated pace.
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Dernières images
Envisat captures images of a sandstorm
Envisat captures images of a sandstorm
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Dernières vidéos
Earth from Space: Mediterranean pearls
Was Venus responsible for the creation of these islands?
Iceberg: Ice Monitoring in Arctic and Antarctic
Ice Monitoring in the Arctic and Antarctic
Envisat and Disaster Monitoring
Satellites can provide fast and accurate information about disasters
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Liens connexes
Programmes d'observation de la Terre
Seul l'espace offre la perspective nécessaire pour comprendre, observer et agir face à notre monde en mutation.
Access Envisat data
