Twenty years of ERS missions

ESA's ERS-1 observation satellite was launched in 1991, followed by its twin ERS-2 in 1995. The ERS mission ended on 5 September 2011 when ERS-2 was safely taken out of service. 

These pioneering satellites have provided the basis for the routine remote sensing we have come to rely upon to unravel the complexities of the way Earth works. The success of the ERS mission has helped Europe to gain clear leadership in several critical technologies and in the scientific use of Earth observation.

During their lifetime, ERS data supported over 5000 projects producing some 4000 scientific publications. Archived data still to this day provide us with a wealth of information and are maintained accessible and continuously improved in the frame of the Heritage Space Programme to build long-term data series with successor missions including Envisat, ESA's family of Earth Explorers and the Copernicus Sentinels.