Published on 23 July 2021
The €735 million, seven-year, Contribution Agreement on the Implementation of the Copernicus Component of the Space Programme of the European Union extends and strengthens EUMETSAT’s role in ocean and atmosphere-monitoring missions in the Earth observation programme.
It entrusts EUMETSAT with the continued operation and exploitation of the existing Copernicus Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-6 ocean-monitoring missions, the up-coming Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5 atmosphere monitoring missions and future missions designed to monitor carbon dioxide and the climate.
“EUMETSAT’s established expertise as an operational meteorological satellite agency means we are well-placed to bring the benefits of these critical missions to the citizens of the EU’s and our own member states,” EUMETSAT Director-General Phil Evans said.
“The Copernicus Sentinel missions the EU has entrusted EUMETSAT to operate complement the missions of our own fleets. Through Sentinel missions comprised of instruments flying on EUMETSAT’s satellites, we will generate complementary products which will give highly accurate information about the Earth’s climate, atmosphere and oceans.”
EUMETSAT will also operate, process and disseminate the data from the future Copernicus anthropogenic carbon dioxide-monitoring mission, CO2M.
In addition, the agency will generate global atmospheric and ocean products from the future Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) and CRISTAL polar-monitoring missions.
The Copernicus 2.0 agreement signed by the commission and EUMETSAT also extends funding to the WEkEO Copernicus Data and Information Access Service for the next seven years.