ESA Observing the Earth

Taking gravity from strength to strength

Ten years ago, ESA launched one of its most innovative satellites. GOCE spent four years measuring a fundamental force of nature: gravity. This extraordinary mission not only yielded new insights into our gravity field, but led to some amazing discoveries about our planet, from deep below the surface to high up in the atmosphere and beyond. And, this remarkable mission continues to realise new science today.

Climate change

Nairobi

Earth from Space

Bering in dire straits

Sentinels monitor converging ice cracks

The Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar mission shows how cracks cutting across Antarctica’s Brunt ice shelf are on course to truncate the shelf and release an iceberg about the size of Greater London – it’s just a matter of time.

Nitrogen dioxide pollution mapped

New maps that use information from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite reveal nitrogen dioxide emission being released into the atmosphere in cities and towns across the globe.

Working towards AI and Earth observation

Satellites observing and measuring our planet deliver a huge amount of data that not only helps understand how our world is changing, but also benefits society by feeding into a myriad of everyday applications. Taking this to the next level, ESA is exploring how even more could be gained from these valuable data by using artificial intelligence (AI).

New observations for the new economy

We all listen to weather forecasts and know they rely on satellite data. What may not be so obvious is that many other aspects of our lives depend on robust satellite data, from growing crops to tackling the major issue of climate change. The socio-economic benefits of Earth observation are huge, and increasing. In Europe, ESA, Eumetsat and the EU work closely together, in long-term partnerships, to make sure these benefits are delivered.

New observations for the new economy

We all listen to weather forecasts and know they rely on satellite data. What may not be so obvious is that many other aspects of our lives depend on robust satellite data, from growing crops to tackling the major issue of climate change. The socio-economic benefits of Earth observation are huge, and increasing. In Europe, ESA, Eumetsat and the EU work closely together, in long-term partnerships, to make sure these benefits are delivered.

New Zealand

Earth from Space

New Zealand

Earth from Space

Methane and ozone data products from Copernicus Sentinel-5P

The Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission has been used to produce global maps of two atmospheric gases responsible for making our world warmer: methane, which is a particularly potent greenhouse gas, and ozone, which is a greenhouse gas and a pollutant in the lower part of the atmosphere. The maps give insight into where these gases are coming from.

Methane and ozone data products from Copernicus Sentinel-5P

The Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission has been used to produce global maps of two atmospheric gases responsible for making our world warmer: methane, which is a particularly potent greenhouse gas, and ozone, which is a greenhouse gas and a pollutant in the lower part of the atmosphere. The maps give insight into where these gases are coming from.

The Alps

Earth from Space

Cloudy waters

Cloudy waters

Copernicus Sentinel-1 reveals shared plumbing led to Agung awakening

When Mount Agung in Indonesia erupted in 2017, the search was on to find out why it had stirred. Thanks to information on ground deformation from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, scientists now have more insight into the volcano’s hidden secrets that caused it to reawaken.

Copernicus Sentinel-1 reveals shared plumbing led to Agung awakening

When Mount Agung in Indonesia erupted in 2017, the search was on to find out why it had stirred. Thanks to information on ground deformation from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, scientists now have more insight into the volcano’s hidden secrets that caused it to reawaken.

Western Sicily

Earth from Space

First results

Earth from Space

Earth from Space

Maldive jewels

Fall in love

Shrinking heart

This heart-shaped body of water may look cute for Valentine’s Day but just as love sometimes fades, this emerald sea is withering away. 

Shrinking heart

This heart-shaped body of water may look cute for Valentine’s Day but just as love sometimes fades, this emerald sea is withering away. 

EarthCARE mission to improve weather forecasts

Earth observation satellite data are crucial for generating accurate weather predictions. They provide a global picture of the current state of the atmosphere, which is used as the starting point for creating a forecast. But our knowledge of that current state is limited, partly because satellites have so far not been able to collect much information about clouds, which play a key role in the weather. The ESA/JAXA future mission EarthCARE will provide this information to improve our predictions about the future weather and climate.

EarthCARE mission to improve weather forecasts

Earth observation satellite data are crucial for generating accurate weather predictions. They provide a global picture of the current state of the atmosphere, which is used as the starting point for creating a forecast. But our knowledge of that current state is limited, partly because satellites have so far not been able to collect much information about clouds, which play a key role in the weather. The ESA/JAXA future mission EarthCARE will provide this information to improve our predictions about the future weather and climate.

Loving big

Since it’s Valentine’s Day soon, we’re all feeling romantic and so we bring you this image of a heart-shaped lake in Argentina – and like all love, it’s special.

Loving big

Since it’s Valentine’s Day soon, we’re all feeling romantic and so we bring you this image of a heart-shaped lake in Argentina – and like all love, it’s special.

Taking Aeolus to the next level

Since ESA’s Aeolus satellite was launched in August, engineers and scientists have been carefully checking the information that this pioneering mission is delivering on the world’s winds – and now it’s time for the next phase.

Island love

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we will soon be expressing our love to those nearest and dearest – and maybe that can include our beautiful home planet, after all it needs all the love and care it can get.

Swarm helps pinpoint new magnetic north for smartphones

Since it was first measured in 1831, we have known that the magnetic north is constantly on the move. However, its tendency to slowly roam has stepped up a pace recently – so much so that the World Magnetic Model has had to be updated urgently with the pole’s new location, vital for navigation on smartphones, for example. ESA’s magnetic field Swarm mission has been key for this update.

Earth from Space

Northeast Kenya

Flying under Aeolus

Science key to taking the pulse of our planet

For some, the concept of ‘science’ may seem difficult or even boring, particularly if it was taught poorly at school. However, with all of us facing the consequences a rapidly changing world, science is fundamental to implementing adaptation and mitigation strategies. Thanks to satellites delivering critical science, we are better placed than ever before to cope with the challenges ahead.

Science key to taking the pulse of our planet

For some, the concept of ‘science’ may seem difficult or even boring, particularly if it was taught poorly at school. However, with all of us facing the consequences of a rapidly changing world, science is fundamental to implementing adaptation and mitigation strategies. Thanks to satellites delivering critical science, we are better placed than ever before to cope with the challenges ahead.

More of Africa scarred by fires than thought

Wildfires can cause devastation and are also to blame for more than a quarter of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere. Satellites play a key role in mapping landscape scarred by fire – but the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission has revealed that there are more fires than previously thought.

Register for LPS19

Iraq flood

Earth from Space

Save the date: Earth Explorer 9 User Consultation Meeting

The date has been set for the Earth observation science community to come together and discuss the merits of the two satellite concepts competing to be ESA’s next Earth Explorer.

Zaragoza

Earth from Space

New financial resources for Copernicus space component

An amendment to the current Copernicus Agreement has been signed by the EU and ESA, adding €96 million to ESA’s space component budget for the world’s largest environmental monitoring programme: Copernicus.

Airbus fellows to join ESA’s ɸ-lab

ESA’s new Earth observation innovation hub, ɸ-lab, is set to welcome three research fellows from the aerospace industry giant Airbus, to work at the edge of disruptive technologies that monitor Earth’s environment from space.

Gangotri

Earth from Space

Thales Alenia Space leads the build of photosynthesis mission

A new contract seals the deal for Thales Alenia Space to lead the consortium that is building ESA’s photosynthesis mission: FLEX.

Cape fires

Uruguay River wetlands

Earth from Space

Cold Turkey

Copernicus Sentinel-1 maps Norway in motion

Images acquired every six days by the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites are being used to map ground movement across two billion measurement sites in Norway, revealing shifts as small as one millimetre a year.

Sentinel calendar

South Georgia

Earth from Space

Schoolkids invited to ESA’s Living Planet Symposium 2019

School classes can come on a journey around the planet, by attending the Open Days of ESA’s Living Planet Symposium in Milan next May – among the world’s largest conferences devoted to satellite Earth observation.

Climate threats

Mount Triglav

Earth from Space

Art competition

Slow flow for glaciers thinning in Asia

Providing water for drinking, irrigation and power, glaciers in the world’s highest mountains are a lifeline for more than a billion people. As climate change takes a grip and glaciers lose mass, one might think that, lubricated by more meltwater, they flow more quickly. However, satellite images from over the last 30 years show that it isn’t as simple as that.

Another El Niño on the horizon?

The jury is still out as to whether climate change will lead to stronger El Niño events, but while representatives from around 200 countries at the COP24 conference are working to breathe life into the 2105 Paris Agreement, there is a 75–80% chance that a fully-fledged event could be with us in the next couple of months.

Earth from Space

Chachani, Peru

Greenland ice loss quickening

Using a 25-year record of ESA satellite data, recent research shows that the pace at which Greenland is losing ice is getting faster.

ESA expands climate dataset portfolio

ESA has added nine new projects to its flagship climate initiative as part of ongoing efforts to systematically observe and collect data in support of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Copernicus Masters winner takes on environmental crime

Cybele has won this year’s Copernicus Masters competition. Using Copernicus Sentinel satellite data, this online application provides quick access to environmental crime reports for law firms and insurance companies.

Copernicus Sentinel-5P ozone boosts daily forecasts

Measurements of atmospheric ozone from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite are now being used in daily forecasts of air quality.

Monitoring climate change from space

Rising global temperatures and the effects of climate change are huge and environmental challenges. Satellites provide unequivocal evidence of the changes taking place and provide decision-makers with the information they need to address these complicated issues – as demonstrated in efforts underway at the COP24 summit in Poland.

Mexico City

Earth from Space

Tackling drought issues for food security

This summer’s drought is a harsh reminder of how unusual weather can cause havoc for farmers – even in a rich part of the world like Western Europe. While there is a wealth of satellite data available to help predict the risk of drought, it can be daunting for a non-expert to handle. ESA’s Food Security Thematic Exploitation Platform makes this task much easier.

Discover Copernicus

Climate from Space art competition

Are you an artist with an interest in Earth observation and the climate? Do you fancy a three-month visiting artist post at ESA’s establishment in the UK? Then here’s your chance: enter the Climate from Space competition before 31 December.

Climate from space art competition

Are you an artist with an interest in Earth observation and the climate? Do you fancy a three-month visiting artist post at ESA’s establishment in the UK? Then here’s your chance: enter the Climate from Space competition before 31 December.

Copernicus improving daily lives in 99 stories

With seven Copernicus Sentinel missions in orbit delivering an almost unimaginable amount of freely-available data about our planet, the potential of tapping into this incredible resource to better the lives of citizens is almost limitless. A new publication that collects 99 stories from European public authorities highlights how we are all benefiting from Copernicus.

The Gulf

Earth from space

Climate analysis toolbox updated

An update to ESA’s climate analysis toolbox that combines information collected from numerous satellite missions is now available, and can supercharge climate-change research studies for scientists and degree-level students.

Paradise lost

ɸ-week highlights

ɸ and citizens

As ESA’s ɸ-week draws to a close, it’s worth remembering that the science and technology involved in observing our planet from space isn’t entirely for the preserve of experts. With a growing interest in the environment and the climate, there are plenty of opportunities for the general public to take part.

Structuring ɸ

ɸ and commercialisation

Fogo

Earth from Space

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

It may not be your actual Superman, but participants to ESA’s ɸ-week are certainly embracing some ‘superhero’ ideas for the future of Earth observation, including high-flying platforms – something between a satellite and an aircraft.

ɸ and future EO

Harnessing artificial intelligence for sustainability goals

As ESA’s ɸ-week continues to provoke and inspire participants on new ways of using Earth observation for monitoring our world to benefit the citizens of today and of the future, it is clear that artificial intelligence is set to play an important role.

ɸ and citizen science

ɸ-week and AI

UNICEF and ɸ: Earth observation and innovation for the most vulnerable

Every day, UNICEF works to help children that are victims of poverty, disease, conflict, migration and more. These problems are not only tragic, but also extremely complex. To further improve the way it works, UNICEF is taking a non-traditional approach by looking at breakthrough technology, Earth observation, big data and artificial intelligence.

Discover ɸ

ɸ-week kicks off

With satellites delivering a mindboggling amount of data about our planet along with the availability of the latest digital technologies, there are countless opportunities for innovation. ESA’s ɸ-week, which kicked off today, explores how this new world can be embraced to bring even more benefits to all.

Talking ɸ

Josef Aschbacher on Φ-week

The availability of today’s wealth of satellite data coupled with the latest digital technologies not only offer unprecedented opportunities for monitoring our changing planet, but they also lay a new landscape for innovation and business. In an interview, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Josef Aschbacher, explains how his concept of Φ, pronounced ‘fee’, is set to exploit this golden age and how he hopes the Φ-week event, being held on 12–16 November 2018 in Italy, will further launch new ideas.

Handing over MetOp-C

Mission teams at ESA’s ESOC operations centre in Germany handed control of the recently launched MetOp-C satellite to Eumetsat, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, on Saturday morning, just three days after launch.

Φ-week live

Madagascar

Earth from Space

ESA’s gravity-mapper reveals relics of ancient continents under Antarctic ice

It was five years ago this month that ESA’s GOCE gravity-mapping satellite finally gave way to gravity, but its results are still yielding buried treasure – giving a new view of the remnants of lost continents hidden deep under the ice sheet of Antarctica.

Europe’s third polar-orbiting weather satellite lofted into orbit

The third MetOp satellite, MetOp-C, has been launched on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to continue the provision of data for weather forecasting from polar orbit.

Europe’s third polar-orbiting weather satellite lofted into orbit

The third MetOp satellite, MetOp-C, has been launched on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to continue the provision of data for weather forecasting from polar orbit.

Europe’s third polar-orbiting weather satellite lofted into orbit

The third MetOp satellite, MetOp-C, has been launched on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to continue the provision of data for weather forecasting from polar orbit.

Watch MetOp-C launch

Call for media

MetOp-C ready for big day

With liftoff set for 7 November, the latest MetOp weather satellite has been rolled out to the launch pad and positioned on the Soyuz rocket for its ride into space from French Guiana.

Semarang

Earth from Space

Meteosat Third Generation

Meteosat Third Generation

Counting down to MetOp-C

Teams at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre in Germany have been training for months in preparation for next week’s launch of MetOp-C – the last in the current series of meteorological satellites that provide high-quality data for weather forecasting and climate monitoring from polar orbit.

As a collaborative undertaking between ESA and Eumetsat, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, ESA is responsible for building the satellites and placing them into orbit, and Eumetsat for operating them once in orbit, and processing and distributing the data.

The power of three