ESA Observing the Earth

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.

Earth from Space

North Sea bloom

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

Earth from Space

Sharm El Sheikh

Earth from Space

Green to brown

Denmark scorched

Calling #EarthGroupies

Sweden in flames

Valencia

Earth from Space

Shape the future

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

Australian crater

Earth from Space

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

Earth from space

Cabo Verde

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.