About Copernicus

The Copernicus Programme is the Earth Observation component of the European Union’s Space Programme, promoted by the European Commission in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and other key institutions. It is the most ambitious Earth observation initiative in the world, delivering free and openly accessible information services based on both satellite and in situ (non-space) data.

Copernicus serves a wide array of users—including public authorities, businesses, SMEs, and international organizations—by transforming data into actionable insights that support environmental protection, climate monitoring, emergency response, and sustainable development.

At the core of Copernicus is the Sentinel family—a fleet of dedicated satellites developed by ESA to meet the specific needs of Copernicus services. These missions include Sentinel-1 through Sentinel-6, each equipped with specialized instruments to capture high-resolution data on the atmosphere, oceans, land surfaces, and climate variables. Since the launch of Sentinel-1A in 2014, the EU has embarked on deploying a constellation of nearly 20 Sentinel satellites by 2030, complemented by data from existing public and commercial Contributing Missions.

Copernicus data is processed and analysed through six thematic services, each tailored to a specific environmental or societal need:

• Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS): Provides continuous data on air quality, greenhouse gases, and solar radiation—critical for health, energy, and policy planning.
• Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS): Tracks land use, vegetation, forests, and urban changes, supporting sustainable agriculture, conservation, and spatial planning.
• Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S): Offers historical and real-time climate indicators, enabling climate risk assessments and long-term adaptation strategies.
• Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS): Monitors ocean currents, temperature, sea level, and ecosystems—vital for maritime safety, fisheries, and coastal management.
• Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS): Provides rapid mapping for disaster response in the case of floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and humanitarian crises.
• Copernicus Security Service (CSS): Supports EU security priorities including border surveillance, maritime monitoring, and conflict prevention.

The implementation of Copernicus is a collaborative effort between the European Commission, ESA, EUMETSAT, ECMWF, Mercator Ocean International, the European Environment Agency (EEA), the Joint Research Centre (JRC), and EU Member States.