ESA Observing the Earth

More analysis is needed to ensure that tropical forest degeneration and regeneration are consistently reported in carbon cycle models and in national reporting, according to a study funded in part by ESA's Climate Change Initiative Biomass project.

The study analysed how tropical forests store carbon under varying conditions and then release it back into the atmosphere. The scenarios studied range from complete forest destruction through deforestation, which is relatively well understood, to forest degradation, whereby the forest’s condition worsens over time due to damage and organic decomposition, for example through wildfires or selective logging, which is often inconsistently reported in models or omitted altogether.

Press Release N° 35–2026

Media representatives are invited to express their interest in attending the media programme at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana for the launch of the FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellites on a Vega-C rocket (flight VV30). Liftoff is expected to take place in September.

With liftoff scheduled for September, excitement is building at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana as two cutting-edge Earth observation satellites, FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C, have arrived to begin their launch campaigns.

Over the coming weeks, engineers and mission teams will carry out a series of rigorous inspections and prepare the satellites to be installed atop their Vega-C rocket for their journey into orbit.

The European Space Agency has installed its first quantum computer, called Bell-1, at its Earth observation centre in Italy. The move marks a significant step in exploring how quantum technology could be merged with classical high-performance computing to improve the speed and efficiency of processing huge amounts of satellite data.

One year after launch, the first Meteosat Third Generation Sounder satellite, MTG-S1, is now commissioned and has been placed in its operational position in geostationary orbit at 0° longitude, and is now ready to deliver vital data to strengthen weather forecasting across Europe.

Revisit the Earth Explorer 12 User Consultation Meeting

Held on 7–8 July 2026 in Tallinn, Estonia

Thirty years after the European Space Agency first demonstrated the power of flying two satellites in very close formation, the concept was recently recreated. By temporarily positioning two Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar satellites to replicate the pioneering ERS-1–ERS-2 ‘tandem mission’, ESA achieved one-day repeat radar imaging of the same Antarctic region.

The results once again demonstrate how this approach can be used to measure glacier motion and pinpoint the critical grounding line with exceptional precision.

Press Release N° 33–2026

Media representatives are invited to express their interest in attending the media programme for the launch of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) Imager weather satellite, MTG-I2, at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

Europe is facing an intense heatwave, with record temperatures and several cities under red alert. On 23 June, France recorded its hottest June day ever.

This image was captured the same day by the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite, which measures land surface temperature from space.

Unlike air temperature, land surface temperature shows how hot the ground itself becomes, often much higher as rock and asphalt absorb heat throughout the day.

Sentinel-3 uses thermal sensors to monitor Earth’s land, oceans, ice, and atmosphere, supporting everything from weather response to long-term climate monitoring.

View image: Europe feels the heat beneath our feet

Learn more about the Sentinel-3 mission

Press Release N° 20–2026

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Defence Agency (EDA) have signed an Implementing Arrangement to jointly identify strategic and technological gaps in Europe’s Earth observation capabilities and develop a long-term roadmap in support of security and defence.