Copernicus Contributing Missions
Copernicus provides access on a full, free and open basis to its Sentinel data and the Copernicus services information products. In addition to data provided by the Sentinel satellites, the missions contributing to Copernicus, the Copernicus Contributing Missions, play a crucial role, delivering complementary data to ensure that a whole range of observational requirements is satisfied.
This Copernicus Contributing Mission (CCM) activity is operated by ESA as an entrusted entity on behalf of the European Commission.
The primary users of the activity are the six Copernicus services - mainly the Land, Emergency, Security and Marine services, as well as other users, such as EU Public Authorities.
The existing or planned Contributing Missions include commercial missions from EU Member States or Copernicus Participating States, commercial Very High Resolution (VHR) optical and radar mission operators, and other emerging European mission operators that make some of their data available for Copernicus.
The focus of the Contributing Mission activity is to provide, in particular, VHR optical and radar data in a very timely manner to answer the needs of the Copernicus Services for VHR Earth observation data. It also provides access to the Copernicus Digital Elevation Model (DEM), which represents the heights of natural and humanmade features on Earth’s surface. Certain instances of the DEM are available worldwide with a free license to data users from the general public.
Current Copernicus services mainly use the following CCM observation techniques:
- Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors, for all weather day/night observations of land, ocean and ice surfaces, including data to fill the gap of Sentinel-1 data relevant to sea ice monitoring for the Marine Monitoring Service
- Very High Resolution (VHR) optical and SAR sensors for on-demand targeting of specific sites globally, for emergency management and security applications
- Very High Resolution (VHR) optical sensors for systematic, predefined continental coverage, e.g. of Europe for annual reference years with high-accuracy satellite ortho-images
Access to on-demand data is being transferred to the Copernicus Contributing Missions Rapid Response Desk. Predefined CCM collections are accessible via the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.
The data portfolio is gradually being expanded to include other emerging commercial data such as thermal infrared, hyperspectral and atmospheric composition data in response to evolving user needs.
With commercial companies playing an increasingly important role in creating a dynamic and innovative space industry, nine European New Space companies have joined Copernicus as Contributing Missions. The aim of bringing emerging European New Space companies into the programme is to help keep Copernicus ahead of the game in the rapidly changing sector of observing Earth from space.
European Earth observation companies have the opportunity to join Copernicus as Contributing Missions. Read the guide on how to apply for more details.
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