Copernicus: the European Earth Observation programme

Abstract

The European Union-led Copernicus programme, born with the aim of developing space-based global environmental monitoring services to ensure a European autonomous capacity for Earth Observation, comprises a Space Component, Core Services, and In-situ measurements. The Space Component, coordinated by ESA, has seven Sentinel satellites in orbit, with further missions planned, and is complemented by contributing missions, in-situ sensors and numerical models, and delivers many terabytes of accurate climate and environmental data, free and open, every day to hundreds of thousands of users. This makes Copernicus the biggest provider of Earth Observation data in the world.