Past, Present and Future Benefits of the ESA Earth Observation Programmes

Abstract

Since the launch of its first Earth Observation satellite, METEOSAT-1, in 1977, the European Space Agency (ESA) has largely contributed to the availability of satellite remote sensing data for Earth sciences and operational applications for the international community. This paper will present: (1) a review of the different elements of the past ESA Earth Observation programmes, from METEOSAT-1 to ERS-2. This includes a summary of the main scientific and operational achievements resulting from these missions; (2) a description of the missions currently in preparation in ESA, in order to ensure the continuity of data availability for the next 10 years, i.e. MSG (METEOSAT Second Generation), ENVISAT-1, and EPS/METOP; (3) a description of the candidate Earth Observation mission profiles addressing user requirements beyond the year 2000. This includes the proposed Earth Explorer missions (research or demonstration missions for Earth sciences) and the proposed Earth Watch missions (pre-operational missions for emerging Earth Observation applications).

The focus will be en the benefits resulting from these missions for the scientific community and the populations of the international community, rather than en the detailed technical description of the satellite systems.