ESA Observing the Earth

Teenage Earth observer

Looming iceberg

It’s all go in summer for Greenland’s glaciers

The Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission has revealed that, on average, Greenland’s glaciers are now flowing more slowly into the Arctic Ocean. While glacial flow may have slowed overall, in summer glaciers flow 25% faster than they do in the winter.

Shanghai

Earth from Space

Copernicus Sentinel-5P releases first data

Following months of tests and careful evaluation, the first data on air pollutants from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite have been released. These first maps show a range of trace gases that affect air quality such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone.

Earth from Space

MetOp-C launch campaign kicks off

The MetOp-C launch campaign has kicked off with the first of three Antonovs landing at Cayenne Airport, French Guiana on 20 June.

Understanding winds

Full steam ahead for Aeolus launch

Having set sail from France on 15 June - Global Wind Day, ESA’s Aeolus wind satellite has arrived safe and sound at the launch site in French Guiana.

Reykjavik

Earth from Space

Earth from Space

Australian crater

Space App Camp

Earth’s squishy interior gives rapid rise to Antarctica

Parts of Earth’s crust are rising very slowly owing to post-glacial rebound, but using GPS, researchers have found that West Antarctica is rising faster than almost anywhere else in the world. And, ESA’s GOCE gravity mission has, in turn, helped them to understand that the mantle below is unusually fluid.

Lake Huron

Earth from Space

Copernicus 20 years on

This week marks 20 years since the manifesto was signed that gave rise to Europe’s Copernicus environmental programme. With seven Sentinel satellites already in orbit delivering terabytes of data every day, Copernicus is the biggest provider of Earth observation data in the world.

Sentinel-3 flies tandem

The key to monitoring Earth’s changing environment and to guaranteeing a consistent stream of satellite data to improve our daily lives is to take the same measurements over the course of decades. But how do you know that measurements from successive satellites, even though identical in build, are like for like?

Aeolus sets sail

Today is Global Wind Day, which couldn’t be more apt for ESA’s Aeolus wind satellite to begin its voyage to the launch site in French Guiana. And, while almost all satellites journey by aircraft, Aeolus is different, it’s going by ship.

Aeolus sets sail

Today is Global Wind Day, which couldn’t be more apt for ESA’s Aeolus wind satellite to begin its voyage to the launch site in French Guiana. And, while almost all satellites journey by aircraft, Aeolus is different, it’s going by ship.

Earth from Space

Restless Kilauea

Mount Makalu

Antarctica hikes up sea level

In a major collaborative effort, scientists from around the world have used information from satellites to reveal that ice melting in Antarctica has not only raised sea levels by 7.6 mm since 1992, but, critically, almost half of this rise has occurred in the last five years.

Antarctica hikes up sea level

In a major collaborative effort, scientists from around the world have used information from satellites to reveal that ice melting in Antarctica has not only raised sea levels by 7.6 cm since 1992, but, critically, almost half of this rise has occurred in the last five years.

Earth from Space

Hawaii lava flow

Cabo Verde

Earth from space

Wind satellite shows off

Before ESA’s Aeolus satellite is packed up and shipped to French Guiana for liftoff in August, media representatives had the chance to see this wind measuring Earth Explorer satellite standing proud in the cleanroom.

Sicily hotspot

Fuego plume

Fuego plume

Italian Alps and plains

Earth from Space

Call for Media

Sentinel-1 warns of refugee island flood risk

In what the UN describes as the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis, almost 700 000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar for neighbouring Bangladesh since August 2017. With the Bangladesh government proposing a vulnerable low-lying island as a relocation site for thousands, Sentinel-1 data have shown how unsuitable this site would be.

Sentinel-1 warns of refugee island flood risk

In what the UN describes as the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis, almost
700 000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar for neighbouring Bangladesh since August 2017. With the Bangladesh government proposing a vulnerable low-lying island as a relocation site for thousands, Sentinel-1 data have shown how unsuitable this site would be.

Living Planet 2019

Sentinels modernise Europe’s agricultural policy

In a move that could benefit around 22 million farmers, the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy has entered the space age. Offering detailed and timely information on crops and farmland, the Copernicus Sentinels are now being used to simplify and modernise this longest-serving EU policy.

Mount Mayon

Earth from space

Sentinel-3B timelapse

Delta diversity

Mont Saint-Michel

Call for Media

New view of Antarctica in 3D

Thanks to ESA’s CryoSat mission, a new map of Antarctica provides the most accurate 3D view ever of the continent’s vast ice sheet and floating ice shelves.

Lake height

Columbia Glacier

Earth from Space

Western Europe

Copernicus Sentinel-3B delivers first images

Less than two weeks after it was launched, the Copernicus Sentinel-3B satellite has delivered its first images of Earth. Exceeding expectations, this first set of images include the sunset over Antarctica, sea ice in the Arctic and a view of northern Europe.

ESA and Vatican work to preserve heritage data

Following an agreement signed in 2016, ESA and the Vatican Apostolic Library have presented the preliminary results on how they are using the same method to manage their respective long-term data preservation projects and how this can create new initiatives.

Emi Koussi

Earth from space

Take part

Glaciers in decline

CryoSat reveals retreat of Patagonian glaciers

While ESA’s CryoSat continues to provide clear insight into how much sea ice is being lost and how the Antarctic and Greenlandic ice sheets are changing, the mission has again surpassed its original scope by revealing exactly how mountain glaciers are also succumbing to change.

CryoSat reveals retreat of Patagonian glaciers

While ESA’s CryoSat continues to provide clear insight into how much sea ice is being lost and how the Antarctic and Greenlandic ice sheets are changing, the mission has again surpassed its original scope by revealing exactly how mountain glaciers are also succumbing to change.

Moon holds key to improving satellite views of Earth

Many Earth observation satellites make use of an added ingredient to ensure reliable, good quality environmental data: the Moon.

Cloud-free Europe

Earth from space

Sentinel-3B highlights

Launch coverage

Launch coverage

United for Copernicus

ESA and SAP look to World Space Alliance

With the launch of Sentinel-3B, the first set of Sentinels for Copernicus is now in orbit delivering an almost mind-boggling amount of data. While this wealth of information advances environmental monitoring, it also opens up huge business opportunities. To help bring these data to market, ESA and SAP have joined forces to create the World Space Alliance.

Seventh Sentinel satellite launched for Copernicus

The second Sentinel-3 satellite, Copernicus Sentinel-3B, was launched today, joining its identical twin Sentinel-3A in orbit. This pairing of satellites increases coverage and data delivery for the European Union’s Copernicus environment programme.

Liftoff replay

Sentinel-3B liftoff

Sentinel-3B liftoff

Watch Sentinel-3B launch

ESA teams ready for space

Tomorrow’s launch of Sentinel-3B will complete the Sentinel-3 constellation and represents the culmination of months of training to fly Europe’s latest Copernicus satellite.

Watch Sentinel-3B launch

Sentinel-3B on launch pad

The next Sentinel satellite for Europe’s environmental monitoring Copernicus programme is poised for liftoff from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia.

Science to services

Henderson Island

Earth from Space

Call for media

Meet Sentinel-3

Earth from Space

Sentinel-3B fully tanked

Getting a satellite ready to be launched involves a long list of jobs, but with the Copernicus Sentinel-3B satellite now fuelled, this particular ‘to do’ list is significantly shorter. And, importantly, all is on track for liftoff on 25 April.

Earth from Space

Hyderabad

Swarm turns to whistlers and storms

The batch of new results from ESA’s Swarm mission has not only included the highest-resolution map of the magnetic field generated by Earth’s crust and a map of the tiny magnetic signals from the oceans, but also, remarkably, some unexpected insight into lightning in the upper atmosphere and geomagnetic storms.

Suited and booted

Mediterranean salt

Swarm tracks elusive ocean magnetism

The magnetic field is arguably one of the most mysterious features of our planet. ESA’s Swarm mission is continually yielding more insight into how our protective shield is generated, how it behaves and how it is changing. Adding yet another string to its bow, Swarm is now tracking changes in the magnetic field produced in the oceans in more detail that ever before.

Crusty detail

Live from EGU

At your fingertips

Lake Baikal

Earth from Space

Earth from Space

Copernicus Masters now open

Awarding outstanding ideas and applications that use Earth observation data to tackle challenges faced by business and society, the Copernicus Masters 2018 competition is now open for submissions.

Antarctica loses grip

ESA’s CryoSat mission has revealed that, over the last seven years, Antarctica has lost an area of underwater ice the size of Greater London. This is because warm ocean water beneath the continent’s floating margins is eating away at the ice attached to the seabed.

Egg Island

Earth from Space

Earth from Space

Turning snow orange

Turning snow orange

Sentinel-3B launch preparations in full swing

With the Sentinel-3B satellite now at the Plesetsk launch site in Russia and liftoff set for 25 April, engineers are steaming ahead with the task of getting Europe’s next Copernicus satellite ready for its journey into orbit.

Netherlands ice

Earth from space

Safeguarding our most precious resource: water

According to this year’s Global Risk Report by the World Economic Forum, water crises are one of the five biggest risks to society. ESA is working with development banks to help water-resource authorities use information from satellites to manage this precious resource.

Giving up forests

Earth from Space

Join us for #Sentinel3 launch

Be a part of Europe’s Earth observation revolution by applying to join experts at one of two Sentinel-3B launch #SocialSpace activities on 25 April.

Sentinels helping to map minerals

The traditional way of mapping Earth’s geology and mineral resources is a costly and time-consuming undertaking. While satellites cannot entirely replace the expert in the field, they can certainly help – as a recent effort in Africa shows.

Fancy a dip?

ESA investigating detection of floating plastic litter from orbit

The millions of tonnes of plastic ending up in the oceans every year are a global challenge. ESA is responding by looking at the detection of marine plastic litter from space, potentially charting its highest concentrations and understanding the gigantic scale of the problem.

ESA testing detection of floating plastic litter from orbit

The millions of tonnes of plastic ending up in the oceans every year are a global challenge. ESA is responding by looking at the detection of marine plastic litter from space, potentially charting its highest concentrations and understanding the gigantic scale of the problem.

ESA testing detection of floating plastic litter from orbit

The millions of tonnes of plastic ending up in the oceans every year are a global challenge. ESA is responding by looking at the detection of marine plastic litter from space, potentially charting its highest concentrations and understanding the gigantic scale of the problem.

Getting to know Steve

Steve – a strange shimmering ribbon of purple light in the night sky – was discovered in 2016, but now, thanks to ESA’s Swarm mission, more is known about this weird feature of the aurora.

Earth from Space

Tokyo

Full house for EDRS

The EDRS–SpaceDataHighway has now begun regularly relaying Earth images from Sentinel-2A, which marks the last of four Copernicus satellites in orbit being brought under the EDRS service.

Voyaging for the Sentinels

Two recent expeditions that took scientists 26 000 km across the Atlantic Ocean have returned critical information to make sure that the Copernicus Sentinel satellites are delivering accurate data about the state of our oceans.