ESA Observing the Earth

Structuring ɸ

ɸ and commercialisation

Earth from Space

Fogo

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

Call for media

Preparing MetOp-C

Preparing MetOp-C

Kyoto and Osaka

Earth from Space

Copernicus Sentinel-5P reveals new nasties

With air quality a serious environmental health problem, the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite is tasked with mapping air pollutants around the entire globe every day. This new mission has been providing data on carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone since July and now other polluting nasties such as sulphur dioxide and formaldehyde have joined the list of data products available to monitor the air we breathe.

Zooming in on Mexico’s landscape

As part of a scientific collaboration with the Mexican Space Agency and other Mexican scientific public entities, ESA has combined images from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission to produce a detailed view of the different types of vegetation growing across the entire country.

Lake Disappointment

Earth from Space

Φ-week shines a spotlight on epicentre of innovation at ESA

ESA is organising a Φ-week event at its Earth observation centre in Frascati, Italy from 12-16 November 2018. Focusing on New Space and especially its applications to Earth observation (EO) the week will review latest developments in New Space investment. The week will focus on EO, whilst acting as an epicentre for all space activities, including other space domains. 

South Sudan

Earth from Space

Public competition to sharpen views from Proba-V minisatellite

ESA is challenging ‘citizen scientists’ to apply the latest AI and image processing techniques to upscale images acquired by the Earth-watching Proba-V minisatellite.

Oil spill spread

Mediterranean slick

Sentinel-2 maps Indonesia earthquake

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit Indonesia on 28 September, destroying homes and hundreds of lives. As the death toll continues to rise, the effects of this natural disaster are far-reaching, with hundreds of thousands of people seeking access food, water and shelter in the aftermath of this tragedy.

Eastern US

Earth from Space

Rising fast

Central Italy

Earth from Space

River discharge

Altimetry explained

SMOS offers new perspective on hurricanes

With recent stories in the news about the devastation brought by hurricanes and typhoons to the US and Asia, we are reminded of how important it is to predict the paths of these mighty storms and also learn more about how they develop. Many satellites have eyes on storms, but ESA’s SMOS mission can offer an entirely new perspective.

Spotlight on sea-level rise

Scientists are gathering in the Azores this week to share findings on how satellite has revealed changes in the height of the sea, ice, inland bodies of water and more. Of concern to all is the fact that global sea level has not only been rising steadily over the last 25 years, but recently it is rising at a much fast rate.

Spotlight on sea-level rise

Scientists are gathering in the Azores this week to share findings on how satellite has revealed changes in the height of the sea, ice, inland bodies of water and more. Of concern to all is the fact that global sea level has not only been rising steadily over the last 25 years, but recently it is rising at a much faster rate.

Satellites safeguard Europe’s potato industry

The drought that swept through Europe this year has hit European farmers hard. Sustained high temperatures and the lack of rain have badly affected the agrofood industry, including the important potato sector.

Altimetry replay

Urban planning app takes top prize at Space App Camp

An app that uses satellite imagery to assist urban planners scooped the top prize of €2500 at this year’s Space App Camp at ESA’s Earth observation centre in Frascati, Italy.

Rising seas

Favourable winds

Talking sea-level

Talking sea-level

Three Earth Explorer ideas selected

As part of ESA’s continuing commitment to realise cutting-edge satellite missions to advance scientific understanding of our planet and to show how new technologies can be used in space, three new ideas have been chosen to compete as the tenth Earth Explorer mission.

São Miguel

Earth from Space

Living Planet 2019

First day of camp

First day of camp

Copernicus Sentinel maps Florence hurricane flood

Making landfall in the US state of North Carolina on 14 September, Hurricane Florence is causing widespread damage and flooding. The Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar mission is being used to map affected areas.

New kid on the block picks up relay for ozone

For more than 20 years, changes in ozone over Antarctica have been carefully monitored by a succession of European satellites. This important long-term record is now being added to by the Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission, which is dedicated to atmospheric monitoring.

Aeolus timelapse

Northeast Ethiopia

Earth from Space

Giant iceberg escapes

Aeolus wows with first wind data

Just one week after ESA’s Aeolus satellite shone a light on our atmosphere and returned a taster of what’s in store, this ground-breaking mission has again exceeded all expectations by delivering its first data on wind – a truly remarkable feat so early in its life in space.

How much water is used for irrigation?

Feeding a growing global population is a major concern, but efforts to grow more food will place an added burden on precious supplies of freshwater. New research shows how measurements of soil moisture from space could be used to understand how much water is used for agriculture and potentially help farmers manage consumption.

North Sea bloom

Earth from Space

OECD uses ESA data to measure green growth

ESA data have been used to develop the new Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Green Growth headline indicator on land-cover change.

Aeolus laser shines light on wind

Following the launch of Aeolus on 22 August, this extraordinary satellite’s instrument has been turned on and is now emitting pulses of ultraviolet light from its laser, which is fundamental to measuring Earth’s wind. And, this remarkable mission has also already returned a tantalising glimpse of the data it will provide.

Summer brown

Precious resource

World Water Week: ESA's role in easing water scarcity

Water is crucial to life on Earth. But today, its overexploitation and pollution present challenges for the environment, economies and global living standards. These issues are addressed by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the annual World Water Week, which runs from 26–31 August 2018 in Stockholm.

Wind mission ready for next phase

Having worked around the clock since the launch of Aeolus on Wednesday, teams at ESA’s control centre in Germany have declared today that the critical first phase for Europe’s wind mission is complete.

Hurricane Lane

Why measure wind?

Liftoff in pictures

Aeolus highlights

Launch coverage

ESA’s Aeolus wind satellite launched

ESA’s Earth Explorer Aeolus satellite has been launched into polar orbit on a Vega rocket. Using revolutionary laser technology, Aeolus will measure winds around the globe and play a key role in our quest to better understand the workings of our atmosphere. Importantly, this novel mission will also improve weather forecasting.

Liftoff replay

Liftoff replay

Watch Aeolus launch

24-hour weather delay

Aeolus teams ready for space

The teams responsible for flying the Aeolus satellite completed a pre-launch ‘dress rehearsal’ at ESA’s ESOC operations centre in Darmstadt today, the last major step in getting ready for next Tuesday’s liftoff.

Watch Aeolus launch

Watch Aeolus launch

Weather and winds

Aeolus in launch tower

ESA’s Aeolus wind satellite is poised for liftoff from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. This latest Earth Explorer satellite has been at the launch site since early July being readied for its ride into space on 21 August at 21:20 GMT (23:20 CEST).

Talking Earth science

Call for media

Aeolus sealed from view

As preparations for the launch of ESA’s latest Earth Explorer continue on track, the team at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana has bid farewell to the Aeolus satellite as it was sealed from view in its Vega rocket fairing. Liftoff is set for 21 August at 21:20 GMT (23:20 CEST).

Wind satellite fuelled for flight

With liftoff less than three weeks away, ESA’s Aeolus satellite has been fuelled and is almost ready to be sealed within its Vega rocket fairing.

Berlin bakes

Berlin bakes

Sentinel-1 maps flash floods in Laos

Copernicus Sentinel-1 data are highlighting the collapse of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy dam in the southeastern province of Attapeu in Laos. The collapse has led to flash floods that have claimed several lives and left many more people missing, according to local news reports.

Summer school live

Summer school live

Earth from Space

Sharm El Sheikh

Earth from Space

Earth from Space

Green to brown

Denmark scorched

Calling #EarthGroupies

Sweden in flames

Valencia

Earth from Space

Shape the future