Copernicus Space Programme

Quick facts

Overview

Overview

The Copernicus programme, formerly known as the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme, is an Earth observation initiative by the European Commission, acting on behalf of the European Union. The programme aims to provide accurate and timely information to improve environmental management and increase understanding of the processes and effects of climate change. Copernicus has been implemented in collaboration with the EU Member States, the European Space Agency (ESA), and other partners such as the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), as well as Mercator Ocean International and other relevant EU agencies. 1)

The programme collects vast amounts of global data from space-based, ground-based, airborne and seaborne measurement systems to provide open access information services. These data serve a wide range of applications, covering:

• Climate monitoring
• Land monitoring
• Wildfires
• Agriculture and resource security
• Disaster monitoring (e.g. earthquakes, volcanoes)
• Air pollution
• Security (e.g. border surveillance, maritime security)

To meet operational requirements, ESA developed the Sentinel family of satellites, as well as the Copernicus Ground Segment, which manages satellite operations and data acquisition, processing, and dissemination. The Sentinel first generation missions consist of six constellations, Sentinel-1 to Sentinel-6. They will be in future complemented by the Sentinel Expansion missions, providing new types of observations to fulfil emerging and urgent needs, and the Sentinel Next Generation missions, to guarantee stability and continuity, while increasing the quantity and quality of Copernicus products and services. These satellites make up the backbone of the Copernicus Space Component (CSC), managed by ESA, and form the European contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).

In 2020, the European Commission announced the Copernicus Expansion Missions, six new Earth observation satellites that aim to address gaps in existing Copernicus data, such as urbanisation, food security, rising sea levels, natural disasters and climate change. The six Copernicus Expansion Missions are: Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission for the Environment (CHIME), Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR), Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring (CO2M), Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL), Copernicus Land Surface Temperature Monitoring (LSTM), and Copernicus Radar Observing System for Europe at L-band (ROSE-L). 32) 33)

Sentinel First Generation Satellite Missions

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Sentinel-1

Sentinel-1 is a radar observatory constellation consisting of two identical polar-orbiting satellites, sharing the same orbital plane with 180° orbital phasing difference. These satellites perform C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging in four different imaging modes. They provide dual polarisation capability, short revisit times, and rapid product delivery, with spatial resolution up to 5 m and swath width up to 400 km, depending on imaging modes. 2) 3)

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Each Sentinel-1 satellite is three-axis stabilised, with zero Doppler yaw, pitch and roll steering provided by sun, star, gyro and magnetic field sensors. They also have a set of four reaction wheels for orbit and attitude control. Each satellite also carries three torque rods as actuators to provide steering capabilities for each axis, as well as two solar array wings and a modular battery. The bus also provides accurate pointing knowledge, high attitude accuracy, and real time orbit determination.

The two platforms operate in near-polar, sun-synchronous orbits to ensure consistent lighting conditions, with a 12-day repeat cycle, at an altitude of 693 km and an inclination of 98.18°. Sentinel-1A was launched on April 3, 2014, and Sentinel-1B was launched on April 25, 2016. The Sentinel-1B mission ended in December 2021 due to a power supply anomaly, and hence the Sentinel-1C mission was launched on December 5, 2024, into an identical orbit. Sentinel-1D is planned to provide continuity for Sentinel-1A. 2)

The C-SAR instrument carried by all Sentinel-1 satellites was designed and developed by European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) Astrium GmbH of Germany. The instrument is an active phased array antenna providing fast scanning in both elevation and in azimuth with dual-pol capacity.

C-SAR operates in four different imaging modes: stripmap, interferometric wide swath, extra-wide swath, and wave. Stripmap mode acquires data with an 80 km swath width, at a single look spatial resolution of approximately 5 m x 5 m. Interferometric wide swath imaging is the main mode for imagery over land, acquiring data over a 250 km swath with a spatial resolution of 5 m x 20 m. Extra wide swath mode acquires data over a 400 km swath at a spatial resolution of 20 m x 40 m. Finally, wave mode acquires data in 20 km x 20 km segments, at 5 m x 5 m spatial resolution, with 100 km between segments. 2) 3)

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Sentinel-2

Sentinel-2 is a wide-swath, high resolution, multispectral imaging mission. Similarly to Sentinel-1, the nominal constellation is formed of two platforms flying in the same orbit, phased 180°. All Sentinel-2 satellites carry a single instrument, the optical Multispectral Instrument (MSI). MSI is a pushbroom sensor that images across 13 channels in the Visible (VIS), Near Infrared (NIR) and Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) ranges. 4) 5)

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Sentinel-2A was launched on June 23, 2015, while Sentinel-2B was launched on March 7, 2017. Sentinel-2A was replaced by Sentinel-2C on January 21, 2025, as it was nearing the end of its planned operational life. However, Sentinel-2A remains in orbit and functional as part of an extension campaign, which began in March 2025. Sentinel-2C is identical to the previous two Sentinel-2 satellites, but carries an improved navigation system compatible with both GPS and Galileo. All of the Sentinel-2 satellites operate at a mean altitude of 786 km, with an inclination of 98.62°, occupying the same sun-synchronous, 10-day cycle orbit. Sentinel-2C and -2B are phased 180°, and Sentinel-2A is located 36° from -2B during its extension program. A fourth platform, Sentinel-2D, will provide further continuity for the mission. 4)

MSI, a pushbroom sensor, collects rows of image data across the orbital swath. It is a passive instrument, collecting reflected sunlight from the Earth. This reflected light is collected by a three-mirror telescope and focused, via a beam splitter, onto two focal plane assemblies (FPAs), one for the ten VIS/NIR wavelengths, and one for the three SWIR wavelengths. The swath width of the MSI instruments is 290 km, with spatial resolution ranging from 10 m to 60 m, depending on the spectral band used. 5)

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Sentinel-3

Sentinel-3 is jointly operated by ESA and EUMETSAT, delivering operational land and ocean observation services. The main objective of the Sentinel-3 series is to make highly accurate and reliable measurements of sea surface topography, sea and land surface temperature, and ocean and land colour data. The Sentinel-3 satellites carry five instruments: the Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR), Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI), SAR Altimeter (SRAL) and Microwave Radiometer (MWR), as well as a Precise Orbit Determination (POD) package. Sentinel-3A was launched on February 16, 2016, and Sentinel-3B was launched on April 25, 2018. A further two platforms, Sentinel-3C and -3D, will provide continuity for the service. 6) 7)

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Sentinel-3A and -3B both operate in a high inclination orbit, at 98.65°, with a 27 day orbital cycle and an altitude of 814.5 km. Both satellites have an identical orbit, but Sentinel-3B flies 140° out of phase with Sentinel-3A. The Sentinel-3 satellites do not use gyroscopes for attitude control, with a three-axis stabilised platform, three star tracker heads, four reaction wheels and magnetic off-loading. Each bus houses eight 1N hydrazine thrusters for orbital manoeuvres, with real-time on-board orbit accuracy determination of 3 m. Satellite power is provided by a 2.1 kW rotary wing with 10 m2 GaAs European solar cells, with onboard power storage of 160 Ah provided by a Li-ion battery. Both satellites have 384 Gbit solid state mass memory for onboard data storage, with TT&C communications in S-band, with 64 kbps uplink and 1 Mbps downlink, and science data downlinked in X-band at a data rate of 280 Mbps. 6) 7)

OLCI

Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) is a pushbroom optical imager consisting of five camera modules, arranged in a fan configuration. Each camera has an individual field of view of 14.2°, and a 0.6° overlap with its neighbours. The instrument measures at a resolution of 300m over a swath of 1440 km. 6)

SLSTR

Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) is a dual-view scanning temperature radiometer, providing multi-purpose VIS/IR imagery. Using a conical oblique scanning technique, SLSTR images in 11 channels. In nadir view, the swath is 1400 km, while in oblique view it is 740 km. 6)

SRAL

Synthetic Aperture Radar Altimeter (SRAL) consists of a single nadir-looking antenna and a central electronic chain which includes a digital processing unit and radio frequency unit. The instrument has two operating modes, Low-Resolution Mode (LRM), a conventional altimeter pulse-limited mode, and SAR mode, which provides a significantly enhanced along-track resolution compared to LRM. LRM is only used during the commissioning phases of the Sentinel-3 missions. 6)

MWR

Microwave Radiometer (MWR) is a passive microwave radiometer with a nadir-only viewing geometry for measurements of brightness temperature. The objective is to provide water vapor and cloud water contents in the field of view of the altimeter, necessary to compensate for the propagation delay induced by these atmospheric components and affecting the radar measurements. It observes in two channels, at 23.8 GHz and 36.5 GHz. 6)

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Sentinel-4

The Sentinel-4 mission consists of two identical Ultraviolet, Visible and Near Infrared (UVN) imaging spectrometers. The instruments are carried by the two geostationary Meteosat Third Generation Sounding (MTG-S) satellites, operated by EUMETSAT. Sentinel-4 aims to observe daily changes in tropospheric composition above Europe and North Africa, including monitoring of trace gases Ozone (O3), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Sulfur dioxide (SO2), Formaldehyde (HCHO) and glyoxal (CHOCHO). These observations are made in support of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Services (CAMS), and will be supplemented by additional aerosol and cloud property data collection. Sentinel-4A was successfully launched aboard the MTG-S1 satellite mission on July 1, 2025. 19) 20)

The UVN sounders are grating spectrometers covering the UV, VIS and NIR spectral bands, imaging in two channels, one UV/VIS and one NIR. Within these channels, Sentinel-4 has three bands, one UV covering 305 - 400 nm, one VIS covering 400 - 500 nm, and one NIR covering 750 - 775 nm. The instruments use a pushbroom scanning configuration. Instrument specifications are detailed below. 21)

Table 6: Sentinel-4 UVN Specifications

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Sentinel-5P

Sentinel-5 Precursor (-5P) is the first Copernicus programme dedicated to atmospheric observation. It consists of a single satellite, carrying a single instrument, the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI). It aims to conduct high spatial and temporal resolution atmospheric measurements, and as a precursor, provide initial data ahead of the launch of Sentinel-5. TROPOMI data is used to study atmospheric pollutants, forest fire impacts and carbon sequestration. Sentinel-5P was launched on October 13, 2017, operating at an altitude of 824 km, with an inclination of 98.7°. It has a 16 day orbital cycle and is in a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit, with an ascending node equatorial crossing at 13:30 Mean Local Solar Time. 8)

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The Sentinel-5P bus has been provided by Airbus Defence and Space, using the Astrobus L 250 M model. This bus is three-axis stabilised with optional yaw steering and a launch mass of 820 kg. Onboard solar panels provide 1500 W of power, with battery capacity of 156 Ah. The satellite has onboard data storage, with onboard science data capacity provided by a 480 Gbit mass memory drive. Satellite communication links are in S-band for TT&C, with an uplink rate of 64 Kbit/s and a downlink rate of 1 Mbit/s. Science data downlink is in X-band at a rate of 310 Mbps. 8)

TROPOMI is a passive grating imaging spectrometer with a push-broom staring, non-scanning configuration in nadir viewing. The instrument consists of four spectrometers, each split into two bands, resulting in 2 UV bands, 2 VIS, 2 NIR and 2 SWIR bands. TROPOMI has a swath width of 2700 km with spatial sampling distance of 3.5 x 5.5 km2. Absolute radiometric accuracy ranges from 1.6% in SWIR bands to 1.9% in UV bands. 9)

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Sentinel-5

Sentinel-5 consists of a single instrument, a grating imaging spectrometer known as the UVN sounder (UVNS). It is carried by all three MetOp Second Generation (MetOp-SG) A-series satellites, which will operate in a sun-synchronous polar orbit at an altitude of 823 - 848 km. The mission aims to monitor air quality trace gases and aerosols with a daily global revisit time and high spatial resolution. Sentinel-5 data supports CAMS, with the main data products being ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), formaldehyde (HCHO), carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH4) total column contents and mole fractions, as well as aerosol optical depth measurements. The instrument operates in a pushbroom staring configuration in nadir viewing, and consists of five spectrometers providing imaging in seven spectral bands, two UV, one VIS, two NIR and two SWIR, with band characteristics below. The instrument has a cross-track swath wish of 2670 km, with spatial resolution of 28km for the UV-1 band, and 7km for all other bands. 22) 23)

Sentinel-5A launched onboard MetOp-SG A1 on 13 August 2025.

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Sentinel-6

Sentinel-6 is a two-satellite constellation with the objective to collect ocean topography and wave data, aiming to provide data continuity from the Jason reference altimeter series. Sentinel-6 data will also support studies of coastal oceanography through the adoption of new radar altimetry techniques developed by Sentinel-3 and ESA’s CryoSat. The mission’s secondary objectives are to provide radio occultation measurements in support of weather prediction forecasts, and inland water height measurements to support Copernicus water management programs, as well as in orbit radiation monitoring for space weather applications. 24)

Sentinel-6A Michael Freilich launched on 21 November 2020, and will be joined in orbit by Sentinel-6B. Sentinel-6C is planned to provide further continuity for the mission.

Each of the satellites use the same satellite bus, constructed by Airbus Defence and Space. The bus weighs 1191 kg, including 230 kg of Hydrazine monopropellant fuel, with dimensions 5.15 x 2.35 x 2.58 m. The satellites operate in a non-sun-synchronous orbit with a mean altitude of 1336 km, an inclination of 66° and a 10 day repeat cycle. Each bus carries a 17.5 m2 body mounted solar array, with Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) solar cells. Onboard power storage is provided by a lithium-ion battery with a total capacity of 200 Ah. The satellite Payload Data Handling and Transmission (PDHT) subsystem includes the mass memory and formatting unit (MMFU), a solid mass memory unit that provides 352 GB of data storage. This unit also processes science data and communicates it to the X-band subsystem for transmission to ground stations. Satellite communications are conducted through S- and X-band antennas on the nadir panel of the spacecraft, with TT&C communications in S-band with a downlink rate of 1 Mb/s and an uplink rate of 32 Kb/s. Payload data is transmitted in X-band at a data rate of 150 Mbit/s. 25) 27)

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Poseidon-4

Poseidon-4 is the primary payload of Sentinel-6, a Ku/C-band nadir pointing Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) altimeter. The instrument provides high accuracy and high precision altimetry measurements, including Sea Surface Height (SSH), from radar range measurement, and significant wave height and wind speed derived from normalised radar cross section. The Poseidon-4 antenna is a single symmetrical centre-fed parabolic reflector with diameter 1.2 m and a dual-frequency centrally fed feed chain at a focal length of 440 mm. The main frequency for altimetry measurements is in Ku band, with central frequency 13.575 GHz and total bandwidth of 320 MHz. The secondary C-band frequency is used for surface roughness estimates and ionosphere corrections, and has a central frequency of 5.421 GHz with total bandwidth of 320 MHz. Poseidon-4 provides 20 km instantaneous field of view (IFOV) resolution, with 300 m along track resolution in SAR mode. 26) 29)

AMR-C

The Advanced Microwave Radiometer for Climate (AMR-C), is primarily used for corrections to the slowing or delay of Poseidon-4 radio pulses caused by atmospheric water loads. It also provides atmospheric attenuation correction of altimeter surface backscatter due to rain, clouds and water vapour. To achieve these goals, AMR-C measures linear polarised brightness temperature (TB) at three frequencies, 18.7, 23.8, and 34 GHz. These frequencies are used to separate the three dominant components of the TB signal, total atmospheric water vapour, total integrated cloud liquid water and wind induced ocean surface roughness, to estimate wet path delay. AMR-C uncertainty is better than 1.2 cm for a single 1 Hz measurement, and provides 25 km resolution. 26) 30)

HRMR

The High Resolution Microwave Radiometer (HRMR) is an experimental system included in Sentinel-6 as part of the AMR-C design. HRMR supports the high resolution SAR mode of Poseidon-4, determining water vapour concentrations along the altimeter path. The instrument includes additional millimetre wave channels at 90, 130 and 168 GHz, extending microwave retrievals closer to the coast in cloud free conditions. HRMR has 3 - 5 km resolution and a bandwidth of 5000 MHz across all channels. 26) 31)

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Copernicus Expansion Missions

In addition to the core Copernicus space segment, the Sentinel missions, six Copernicus Expansion missions are also being planned and implemented.

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CHIME

The Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging System (CHIME) is an Earth observation mission designed to support applications in food security, sustainable agriculture, and raw materials, as well as secondary applications in inland and coastal water quality, biodiversity, snow and ice monitoring, environmental degradation, and hazard assessment. The mission will consist of a constellation of two identical satellites in sun-synchronous Low Earth Orbit, each carrying an advanced Hyperspectral Imager (HSI) - a pushbroom grating imaging spectrometer with high signal-to-noise ratio and high radiometric accuracy. The instrument will capture over 200 spectral bands across the visible, near-infrared, and shortwave infrared range (400–2500 nm), at a spatial resolution of 30 m with a swath width of 130 km. The constellation will provide an 11 day revisit time. 10) 45)

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CIMR

The Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) will consist of up to three satellites in quasi-polar orbits, measuring sea surface temperature, salinity and sea ice concentration. The onboard conically-scanning multi-frequency microwave radiometer will provide observations in five spectral bands (L, C, X, K and Ka bands), with an extremely wide swath width of >1900 km. CIMR will measure sea surface temperature with 15 km spatial resolution, sea ice concentration measurements at 5 km spatial resolution, as well as sea surface salinity among other variables. CIMR’s high resolution microwave imaging radiometry will respond to Arctic and marine user needs and facilitate understanding in the state of the ocean and sea ice. 11) 45)

The mission will observe 95% of the globe every day with sub-daily revisits above 55° north and south of the equator with sub-Kelvin accuracy.

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CO2M

The Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring Mission (CO2M) will provide global observations of human-made CO2 emissions to support climate monitoring and emission reduction efforts. The mission will consist of three satellites, each with a swath wider than 250 km, providing global coverage with a revisit time of at least five days at the equator. Each CO2M satellite will carry three instruments. The Integrated CO2 and NO2 Imaging Spectrometer (CO2I/NO2I) provides CO2, CH4 and NO2 observations with a 2 km spatial resolution, to aid estimation of anthropogenic emissions. The Cloud Imager (CLIM) is a 3-band radiometer to detect the presence of low altitude water clouds and high altitude cirrus in the CO2I spatial sample, so that these can be removed from the data. The Multi-Angular Polarimeter will support the accurate retrieval of CO2 and CH4 concentration data by estimating the effective light path effects of atmospheric aerosols. 12) 45)

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CRISTAL

The Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL) aims to measure and monitor sea ice thickness, overlying snow depth and ice sheet elevations. CRISTAL is the successor to CryoSat-2, and will consist of two identical satellites. The CRISTAL payload features two instruments: an interferometric radar altimeter for ice and snow (IRIS), and a microwave radiometer (MWR). IRIS will be used for measurement of sea ice thickness, snow cover and ice sheet and glacier height, and follows on from the CryoSat SIRAL instrument, with improvements such as a dual band frequency. The altimeter will operate simultaneously in Ku-band at a frequency of approximately 13.5 GHz and in Ka-band at a frequency of approximately 35.75 GHz. 13) 45)

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LSTM

The Land Surface Temperature Monitoring (LSTM) mission will monitor evapotranspiration rates by capturing land surface temperature variability, as well as mapping and monitoring soil composition, allowing more robust estimates of field-scale water productivity and to support urban heat island mapping. The mission will consist of two identical satellites which will each carry two instruments: the LSTM radiometer, an optical imager which will acquire high spatio-temporal resolution imagery of land and coastal areas, and a Thermal Infrared (TIR) instrument. The TIR imager will operate in VNIR, SWIR and TIR spectral bands, aiming to achieve a nadir spatial resolution of 37 m with a 700 km swath. The instrument will have a temperature range of -20°C to 30°C with precision of 0.3°C. 14) 45)

ROSE-L

The Radar Observing System for Europe in L-band (ROSE-L) is an Earth observing Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mission that aims to monitor geohazards, observe and track land use, and provide high resolution soil moisture data. It will carry a single instrument, ROSE-L SAR, which will use L-band radar signals for geohazard monitoring, land use monitoring and soil moisture observations. This mission will provide complementary observations made by the C-band SAR instrument on Sentinel-1, with SAR imagery provided at spatial resolutions of 50 and 100 square metres over a 260 km swath width. The satellite is planned to operate in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 693 km. 15) 45)

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Next-Generation Sentinel Missions

Unlike the Sentinel Expansion missions, the Sentinels Next Generation missions respond to the request for enhanced continuity, i.e. a progressive improvement of the current measurement capabilities (first generation of Sentinels), mostly by means of new generation of instrumentation systems, with improved performances, compared to the ones currently deployed, thanks to the evolution of the technology. 45)

Sentinel-1 Next Generation mission

The main goal of this mission is to ensure the C-band data continuity beyond the next decade (2030) in support of operational Copernicus services that are routinely using Sentinel-1 data and to enable the further development and improvement of operational Copernicus services.

With the Sentinel-1 NG mission a further improvement in key SAR performance parameters will be achieved, i.e. a better spatial resolution, a shorter revisit time, a longer orbital SAR duty cycle and a better radar sensitivity with respect to what is currently achievable with the Sentinel-1 first generation mission.

Sentinel-2 Next Generation mission

The primary Sentinel-2 NG mission objectives are to guarantee continuity of high-quality multi-spectral Sentinel-2 first generation measurements and to provide enhanced observing capabilities for the next generation of operational products addressing the evolving user needs. In this sense the main requirements include, on one side, maintaining the spectral bands and the achieved in-flight Signal to Noise Ratio performance of the first generation, while on the other side new objectives have been added like an improvement of the spatial sampling distance by a factor of 2 and a selection of new bands leading to enhanced and new applications. These new bands aim to allow new products to support agriculture and vegetation analysis, such as quantification of non-productive vegetation, as well as to support the marine community through targeted bands for aquatic quality across both inland and coastal waters.

Sentinel-3 Next Generation Topographic mission

The Sentinel-3 Next Generation Topography mission will ensure enhanced continuity of Sentinel-3 topography measurements from an optimised sun-synchronous polar orbit. It will deliver improved temporal and spatial sampling of sea surface height, significant wave height, wind speed, and inland water surface elevation, while remaining fully compatible with first-generation data products for a seamless user transition. In addition to continuity, the mission will provide enhanced capabilities for hydrology, marine and cryosphere applications, including new and/or improved products for monitoring sea ice, land ice and wave spectra, in response to evolving Copernicus user needs.

This mission will carry, among others, the last generation of nadir altimeter and a novel interferometric wide-swath altimeter instrument to provide the enhancement and revisit time required by Copernicus service users, ensuring 50 km effective resolution and 5-day revisit time at the equator for 80% of the Earth.

Sentinel-3 Next Generation Optical mission

The main objective of this mission is to ensure enhanced continuity (concerning temporal, spatial and spectral sampling) of the Sentinel-3 optical (visible and infrared) in-flight performance capability into the 2030-2040s timeframe, in support of evolving Copernicus user needs. Sentinel-3 NG Optical will be equipped with an Advanced SLSTR and an Advanced OLCI, enabling improved spatial sampling (150 m for the Advanced OLCI and 500 m for all bands for the Advanced SLSTR). The mission will provide a global gap-free coverage for the VIS/NIR channels with a revisit time ≤2 days over ocean and ≤1 days over land poleward of 30° latitude.

The Sentinel-6 Next Generation mission

The main objective of this mission is to enhance the satellite altimetry geodetic data record for sea surface height, global and regional mean sea level, waves and wind speed, and to maintain the stability of the global and regional mean sea level time series created through the reference altimeter missions, guaranteeing continuity of the reference altimetry measurements in the 2035-2055 timeframe, and complying with the evolving user needs for climate research.

Copernicus Contributing Missions

Copernicus also classifies around 30 existing or planned third party satellite missions as contributing missions, which provide the programme with complementary data in addition to Sentinel imagery. Contributing missions include the Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite 2 (KOMPSAT-2), SPOT-6, and RADARSAT-2. The contributing missions aim to provide data in five categories:

• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery
• Optical sensors for land activity and ocean dynamics observations
• Altimeters for sea level measurement
• Radiometers for land and ocean temperature observation
• Spectrometers for air quality measurements

The participating programs in Copernicus contributing mission activity come from a range of commercial missions from EU member states, or Copernicus participating states, as well as public missions from other countries. 34) 35)

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Copernicus Operations

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Mission Planning

Copernicus mission planning within the ESA EOF-CSC comprises the creation and implementation of observation plans for the Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Sentinel-5P programmes. Observation schedules are created to ensure continuous data collection within the available satellite and ground resources. The mission planning function also includes the Sentinels Resource Allocation (SRA) system, a planning system for managing downlink conflicts between the Sentinel missions, and a Mission Planning Interface Point (MPIP), which is a temporal repository of scheduling information generated by mission planning systems. 16)

Flight Operations Segment

The Copernicus Flight Operations Segment (FOS) is responsible for command and control of all Copernicus satellites. It is operated from ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, with Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-6 routine operations conducted from EUMETSAT, also in Darmstadt. The main functions of the FOS are:

• Spacecraft status monitoring: Processing incoming telemetry data, providing information about all spacecraft subsystems
• Spacecraft control: Executing telecommand control actions based on spacecraft monitoring and mission plans
• Orbit determination and control: Using tracking and orbit determination data and implementing orbit manoeuvres
• Attitude determination and control: Processing and applying attitude sensor data from spacecraft through on-board attitude control systems
• On-board software maintenance: Applying image processing software received from spacecraft manufacturers into the telecommand process 16) 18)

Data Acquisition

Science data collected from the Copernicus satellites is downlinked, processed, and disseminated via the CSC Acquisition Service. The service handles acquisitions from X-band, Ka-band, and the European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS) tailored to the technical baseline of each Copernicus satellite. X-band services are provided in line with Sentinel downlink operations, EDRS services for Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2, and Ka-band services to meet the higher data volume requirements of the upcoming Copernicus Expansion Missions. Multiple ground stations are necessary to fulfil the acquisition needs of the CSC, each operating autonomously while downlink operations are allocated by the Mission Planning systems and deconflicted by the SRA system. The EDRS component complements the X-band and Ka-band networks by relaying satellite data to the ground via optical links. 16) 17) 18)

Systematic Production

All Copernicus Sentinel data is processed to pre-defined User Level Data types. Systematic production refers to the process of generating each set of User Level Data, which consists of:

• Retrieval of Channel Access Data Units (CADU) from the X-Band Integrated Payload (XBIP) carried by the Sentinel missions
• Retrieval of auxiliary data
• Systematic production of Level-0, Level-1, and Level-2 User Level Data from the CADU stream
• Operation and management of the Production Interface Point (PRIP), including a rolling storage of a few days of data to support end-user retrieval
• Provision of systematically generated data to the PRIP within required timeliness and performance
• Automated routine quality control of generated data

Mission Performance Cluster

The Copernicus Mission Performance Cluster (MPC) monitors instrument performance to ensure that User Level Data meets calibration and validation specifications. The MPC performs all necessary activities to derive and maintain calibration and validation information, and characterise User Level Data quality according to product specifications.

Long Term Archiving

The Copernicus Long Term Archive (LTA) function ensures the storage of essential Copernicus mission data, and covers the following main functions:

• Data ingestion and safe storage
• Data query, retrieval, and delivery on an Archive Interface delivery Point (AIP)
• Data curation and archive integrity
• Performance monitoring and reporting
• Implementation and operations of the AIP, ensuring data availability and handling of cache policy

The LTA service aims to fulfil the archiving needs of any Copernicus Programme with its Sentinel-generic scope common to all missions. The LTA interface allows precise search capabilities for standard EO metadata, with detailed definition of the indexed fields for each data type.

Data Access

The Data Access component provides end user access to Copernicus User Level Data through the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem (CDSE), a platform that allows various computing tools to be applied to process hosted data with high efficiency. The Data Access component covers the following functions:

• Data Distribution: allowing end users to download image products of interest
• Streamlined Access: allowing direct or interactive processing of selected datasets through free and open access
• On-demand Production: allowing higher level data generation (typically Level-1/2) from archived lower level data (typically Level-0) at user request.

References

1) SentiWiki, “Copernicus Programme”, URL: https://sentiwiki.copernicus.eu/web/copernicus-programme

2) SentiWiki, “Sentinel-1”, URL: https://sentiwiki.copernicus.eu/web/sentinel-1

3) WMO OSCAR, “Sentinel-1A”, URL: https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satellites/view/sentinel_1a

4) SentiWiki, “Sentinel-2”, URL: https://sentiwiki.copernicus.eu/web/sentinel-2

5) WMO OSCAR, “Sentinel-2A”, URL: https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satellites/view/sentinel_2a

6) SentiWiki, “Sentinel-3”, URL: https://sentiwiki.copernicus.eu/web/sentinel-3

7) WMOS OSCAR, “Sentinel-3A”, URL: https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satellites/view/sentinel_3a

8) SentiWiki, “Sentinel-5P”, URL: https://sentiwiki.copernicus.eu/web/sentinel-5p

9) WMO OSCAR, “Sentinel-5P”, URL: https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satellites/view/sentinel_5p

10) SentiWiki, “Copernicus Expansion: CHIME”, URL: https://sentiwiki.copernicus.eu/web/chime

11) SentiWiki, “Copernicus Expansion: CIMR”, URL: https://sentiwiki.copernicus.eu/web/cimr

12) SentiWiki, “Copernicus Expansion: CO2M”, URL: https://sentiwiki.copernicus.eu/web/co2m

13) SentiWiki, “Copernicus Expansion: Cristal”, URL: https://sentiwiki.copernicus.eu/web/cristal

14) SentiWiki, “Copernicus Expansion: LSTM”, URL: https://sentiwiki.copernicus.eu/web/lstm

15) SentiWiki, “Copernicus Expansion: ROSE-L”, URL: https://sentiwiki.copernicus.eu/web/rose-l

16) SentiWiki, “Copernicus Operations”, URL: https://sentiwiki.copernicus.eu/web/copernicus-operations

17) German Aerospace Centre Earth Observation Centre, “The Copernicus Ground Segment”, URL: https://www.dlr.de/en/eoc/research-transfer/topics/copernicus-the-european-earth-observation-programme/the-copernicus-ground-segment

18) ESA, “Core Ground Segment”, URL: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Core_Ground_Segment

19) Sentinel Online, “Sentinel-4 mission overview”, URL: https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/missions/sentinel-4/overview

20) Sentinel Online, “Sentinel-4 mission objectives”, URL: https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/missions/sentinel-4/objectives

21) Sentinel Online, “Sentinel-4 instrument payload”, URL: https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/missions/sentinel-4/instrumental-payload

22) Sentinel Online, “Sentinel-5 mission objectives”, URL: https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/missions/sentinel-5/objectives

23) Sentinel Online, “Sentinel-5 instrument payload”, URL: https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/missions/sentinel-5/instrument-payload

24) Sentinel Online, “Sentinel-6 mission objectives”, URL: https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/missions/sentinel-6/objectives

25) NASA JPL, “Sentinel-6 Spacecraft and Instruments”, URL: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/sentinel-6/mission/spacecraft/

26) Sentinel Online, “Sentinel-6 Instrument Payload”, URL: https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/missions/sentinel-6/instrument-payload

27) Sentinel Online, “Sentinel-6 Satellite Description”, URL: https://sentinels.copernicus.eu/missions/sentinel-6/satellite-description

28) WMO OSCAR, “DORIS”, URL: https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/doris

29) WMO OSCAR, “Poseidon-4”, URL: https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/poseidon_4

30) WMO OSCAR, “AMR-C”, URL: https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/amr_c

31) WMO OSCAR, “HRMR”, URL: https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/hrmr

32) ESA, “Contracts awarded for development of six new Copernicus missions”, URL: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Contracts_awarded_for_development_of_six_new_Copernicus_missions

33) ESA, “Copernicus Expansion Missions”, URL: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Copernicus_Sentinel_Expansion_missions

34) Copernicus, “Contributing Missions”, URL: https://www.copernicus.eu/en/contributing-missions

35) ESA, “Copernicus Contributing Missions”, URL: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Copernicus_Contributing_Missions

36) CEOS Database, “S1NG-A”, URL: https://database.eohandbook.com/database/missionsummary.aspx?missionID=1464

37) CEOS Database, “S2NG-A”, URL: https://database.eohandbook.com/database/missionsummary.aspx?missionID=1466

38) CEOS Database, “S3NGO-A”, URL: https://database.eohandbook.com/database/missionsummary.aspx?missionID=1468

39) CEOS Database, “S3NGT-A”, URL: https://database.eohandbook.com/database/missionsummary.aspx?missionID=1469

40) ESA, “Sentinel-1 Mission Continuity through Next Generation Enhancements”, Living Planet Symposium 2025, URL: https://lps25.esa.int/lps25-presentations/presentations/3290/_3290.pdf

41) ESA, “Copernicus Session C.03.07 Sentinel-2”, Living Planet Symposium 2025, URL: https://lps25.esa.int/lps25-presentations/presentations/3263/_3263.pdf

42) ESA, “Sentinel-3 Topography: development, technology & Next Generations mission status: On the way towards operational swath altimetry”, Living Planet Symposium 2025, URL: https://lps25.esa.int/lps25-presentations/presentations/3287/_3287.pdf

43) ESA, “The Copernicus Sentinels: from first to Next Generation missions, Sentinel-3 Optical: development, technology & Next Generations mission status Sentinel-3 (AOLCI and ASLSTR)”, Living Planet Symposium 2025, URL: https://lps25.esa.int/lps25-presentations/presentations/3291/_3291.pdf

44) ESA, “Living Planet Symposium 2025 - Copernicus Sentinel 6 Next Generation: Status of Mission definition and next steps”, Living Planet Symposium 2025, URL: https://lps25.esa.int/lps25-presentations/presentations/3288/_3288.pdf

45) P. Potin, M. P. Milagro-Pérez, "Status and evolution of Copernicus, the most ambitious Earth Observation programme," ESA Copernicus Space Office, 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2025), Sydney, Australia, 29 Sep-3 Oct 2025.