Climate missions

Keeping an eye on the climate

Space has become an undisputed diagnostic tool for detecting climatic and environmental changes on a planetary scale. Space-based systems offer a unique view of the Earth and as such have become unparalleled in enabling us to understand our planet as a whole. Space can also measure changes to the Earth reliably, accurately and consistently.

Observation satellites provide scientists with the essential data needed to detect environmental changes on Earth. As more than 50% of climate variables can only be measured from space, Earth observation satellites are a vital tool for monitoring the effects of climate change on natural ecosystems.

Airbus is involved in all major environmental monitoring satellite programmes in Europe and plays a key role in the Copernicus programme.

A driving force for Copernicus

Copernicus is the world’s most ambitious environment and climate monitoring programme. It provides accurate, timely and easily accessible information to better protect our planet and its environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and to improve people's safety in case of emergency situations. This initiative is headed by the European Commission (EC) in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA).

Copernicus is designed to provide important information in six key areas: land monitoring; marine environment monitoring; disaster and crisis management; monitoring of the Earth’s atmosphere; climate change monitoring; and security.

Airbus has played a key role in building the satellites and instruments for Copernicus since the programme began in 1998, contributing its expertise to all seven Sentinel missions and the new next-generation Copernicus satellites: CRISTAL, LSTM and ROSE-L.

Airbus’ contribution to the Copernicus programme

Airbus has been involved in seven of the satellites since the launch of the first Sentinel in 2014.

Sentinel-1

Thanks to its radar instrument, Sentinel-1 provides all-weather, day-and-night imagery of the entire Earth’s surface for maritime and land monitoring, emergency response, climate change monitoring and security.
Airbus developed and built the radar instrument for Sentinel-1.
The first of these satellites – Sentinel-1A – was launched in 2014, followed two years later by Sentinel-1B. Two more satellites are in production.

Sentinel-2

From monitoring the health of the world's vegetation to mapping regions struck by natural disasters and supporting urban planning, Sentinel-2 is key to observing and understanding our planet.

Airbus is prime contractor for this two-satellite mission. Sentinel-2A was delivered to orbit in 2015, while its Sentinel-2B counterpart was launched in 2017. Sentinel-2C has been launched in 2024 and one more satellite is in production.

Sentinel-3

The data produced by Sentinel-3 allows scientists to monitor sea-level change and sea-surface temperature, manage water quality, and track marine pollution and biological productivity.
Airbus supplies this mission’s Microwave Radiometer – which determines the amount of humidity contained in the path of the radar pulses – as well as a number of satellite subsystems.
The two satellite components – Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B – were launched in 2016 and 2018, respectively. A further two satellites are in production.

Sentinel-4

Sentinel-4 will continuously monitor key air quality trace gases and aerosols, providing scientists with crucial knowledge about air quality of large parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
Airbus is prime contractor for the development and construction of its two spectrometers.

Sentinel-5 Precursor

Since 2017, Sentinel 5P is the first satellite dedicated to monitoring atmospheric chemistry for the Copernicus programme. It has provided some of the most detailed measurements of harmful gas emissions. A key mission that can only be done from space as these emissions are invisible to the eye.
Airbus designed and built the satellite and its instrument.

Sentinel-5

The high-precision Sentinel-5 instrument will monitor the Earth’s atmosphere on a global and daily basis, measuring trace gases and aerosols that impact climate and air quality.
Airbus is the Prime contractor for the Sentinel-5 imaging spectrometer. Sentinel-5 will be installed on an Airbus-built MetOp Second Generation satellite and fly in a roughly 800-kilometre polar orbit around the Earth.

Sentinel-6

Sentinel-6 provides high-precision measurements of the topography of the ocean surface, essential information for the continued monitoring of sea level changes, a key indicator of climate change.

Airbus is the prime contractor for Sentinel-6.

Copernicus expansion missions

CRISTAL: Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter

The CRISTAL spacecraft will monitor sea-ice thickness and overlying snow depth.The data will support maritime operations in the polar oceans and the understanding of climate processes.

LSTM: Copernicus Land Surface Temperature Monitoring

LSTM’s land surface temperature observations address key climate elements of concern: farming and food security, irrigation and water scarcity, urban heat islands and energy efficiency.

ROSE-L: L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar

ROSE-L will monitor land, oceans and ice day and night, collecting important data on soil moisture, precision farming, food security, forest biomass and land use change.

Earth science satellites

Biomass

Biomass will deliver crucial information about the state of our forests and how they are changing, as well as increasing our understanding of the role of forests in the carbon cycle.

EarthCARE - Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer

EarthCARE has been designed to make a range of different measurements that together will shed new light on the role that clouds and aerosols play in regulating the Earth’s climate.

GRACE-C - Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment-Continuity

Continuing its predecessors’ work, GRACE-C will measure changes in the planet’s gravity field, providing observations of how Earth’s groundwater, oceans, ice sheets, and land shift from month-to-month.

Earth science satellites

Merlin

Merlin will use its LIDAR to probe the atmosphere and determine the varying concentrations of methane. This gas, along with carbon dioxide, is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect.

Microcarb

MicroCarb will be the first European mission dedicated solely to measuring CO2 levels using a spectrometer at visible and near infrared wavelengths. This mission will complement Merlin.