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Behind the scenes with MetOp-SG and Sentinel-5
Video: 00:01:45 Experience the preparation of the MetOp-SG-A1 satellite, hosting Copernicus Sentinel-5, scheduled for liftoff on an Ariane 6 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 August 2025 at 02:37 CEST (12 August 21:37 Kourou time). This timelapse video captures key stages from the encapsulation within the Ariane 6 fairing to the…
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Watch: MetOp-SG-A1 and Sentinel-5 launch
Europe’s first MetOp Second Generation, MetOp-SG-A1, weather satellite – which hosts Copernicus Sentinel-5 as part of its instrument package – is set for liftoff on an Ariane 6 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 August 2025 at 02:37 CEST (12 August 21:37 Kourou time). Watch live on ESA Web TV One.
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SOURCE team achieves key milestone in CubeSat development with solar panel deployment tests
From the 16th to 20th of July 2025, the SOURCE CubeSat team from the University of Stuttgart conducted an environmental test campaign at ESA’s CubeSat Support Facility at ESEC-Galaxia in Libin, Belgium. Their goal: qualify the satellite’s in-house designed solar panel deployment system, marking a pivotal step forward in the satellite’s journey to space.
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OBSERVER: Supporting policy making with science – a decade of Copernicus services at ECMWF
OBSERVER: Supporting policy making with science – a decade of Copernicus services at ECMWF sonia Wed, 06/08/2025 – 13:34 Over the past decade, Copernicus has been at the forefront of Earth Observation (EO), delivering a constant stream of high-quality data to support evidence-based policymaking and enable informed decisions across both the public and private sectors.…
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First MetOp-SG satellite sealed within Ariane 6 fairing
As preparations to launch Europe’s first MetOp Second Generation, MetOp-SG-A1, satellite continue on track, the team at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, has bid a heartfelt farewell to this precious satellite as it was sealed from view within the Ariane 6 rocket’s fairing. This all-new weather satellite, which hosts the first Copernicus Sentinel-5 instrument,…
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SMOS adds long-term view on carbon stored in forests
Data from ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission can be used to estimate how much carbon is stored in forests – and a study has improved our understanding of how reliable this proxy is and how long-term datasets from SMOS can help us to monitor this valuable resource.
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Wildfires burn in northern Portugal
Image: Copernicus Sentinel-2 captured wildfires burning in northern Portugal on Wednesday, 30 July.
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OBSERVER: How the EU Space Programme supports healthy forests
OBSERVER: How the EU Space Programme supports healthy forests sonia Thu, 31/07/2025 – 11:30 Forests are an important natural resource. They are home to 60,000 tree species worldwide, absorb carbon dioxide, and help regulate both local and global temperatures. They also sustain millions of people who rely on them for food, medicine, and materials such as…
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A troubling shift in Europe’s forest carbon balance
Europe’s forests play a crucial role in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but research led by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has found their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide has declined in the past decade.
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Greenland subglacial flood bursts through ice sheet surface
Using data from several Earth-observing satellites, including ESA’s CryoSat and the Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 missions, scientists have discovered that a huge flood beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet surged upwards with such force that it fractured the ice sheet, resulting in a vast quantity of meltwater bursting through the ice surface.
