The Copernicus satellite missions currently in orbit provide invaluable data that feed a vibrant ecosystem of Earth Observation products and services across diverse application areas. Copernicus is served by a set of six dedicated satellite families, the Sentinels, which are specifically designed to meet the needs of the Copernicus services and their users.
The Copernicus Sentinel Expansion Missions will further bolster these efforts, providing even deeper insights into the dynamics of our planet.
The Copernicus Sentinel Expansion Missions are six satellite missions being developed to address gaps in the coverage of Copernicus user requirements and to extend the current capabilities of the Copernicus Space Component. They’re being developed by several European partners, including the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).
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The Copernicus Sentinel Expansion Missions will represent a major leap forward in Europe’s Earth Observation capabilities. With missions such as CO2M tracking greenhouse gas emissions, CIMR providing detailed insights into sea ice and the polar environment, CHIME gathering hyperspectral observations from the earth surface, CRISTAL monitoring ice thickness and change, LSTM mapping land surface temperature variations, and ROSE-L improving radar observations, users will be equipped with more precise data on the state of our planet.
With the first new satellite mission expected to launch as early as 2026, and others to follow over the next decade, here’s a rundown of what we can expect from them.
Source: Copernicus