Earth observation for climate action

Geospatial data to help fight climate change

Over the past 50 years, remote sensing via satellites has yielded both spectacular views of our planet and unprecedented scientific insight. Today, Earth-observation satellites are at the forefront of monitoring deforestation, rising sea levels and greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. At Airbus, we not only build many of these satellites but transform geospatial data into actionable insight to help fight climate change.

Satellites to monitor climate change

More than 150 Earth-observation satellites are currently in orbit. Their mission is to provide scientists with the essential data needed to detect environmental changes on Earth. Because many climate variables can only be measured from space, Earth-observation satellites are a vital tool to monitor the effects of climate change on natural ecosystems.

At Airbus, we have been managing data from the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Earth-observation satellites since the early 1990s. We are involved in all major environment-monitoring satellite programmes in Europe and play a key role in all the Copernicus missions.

At any one time some 20 of our satellites are involved in climate change monitoring with an additional 20 in development. Our complete fleet of satellites measures the following aspects:

Land, forests and sea
Air quality, temperature and humidity
Snow and ice coverage
Wind and clouds

This critical geospatial data enables us to:

Provide scientists with a better understanding of the Earth’s system and evolution
Help governments and humanitarian agencies prepare for and manage disasters
Generate environmental impact assessments for large industries

Earth-observation satellites on climate

Aeolus

Equipped with a Doppler wind LIDAR, this satellite monitors the Earth’s wind patterns on a global scale. The observations are used to improve weather forecasting and climate models. It has been in orbit since 2018.

Airbus satellite fleet

Owned and operated by Airbus, this satellite fleet delivers geo-intelligence services for a variety of applications. Current in-orbit satellites include optical satellites SPOT and Pléiades, as well as Vision-1 and DMC Constellation, and radar satellites TerraSAR-X, Tandem-X and PAZ.

Biomass

Currently in production, this satellite will monitor the carbon captured by trees. The spacecraft will carry the first space-borne P-band synthetic aperture radar to deliver exceptionally accurate maps of tropical, temperate and boreal forest biomass that are not obtainable by ground-measurement techniques.

Airbus-built Sentinel-5P satellite will be launched to complete the European Copernicus programme

Copernicus & the Sentinel Family

The largest provider of Earth-observation data in the world, this European satellite programme focuses on improving environmental management, understanding and mitigating climate change effects, and ensuring civil security. Airbus-built Sentinels 2, 5P and 6 are currently in orbit. New satellites LSTM and CRISTAL, including the ROSE-L instrument, will launch as of 2027.

EarthCARE

This satellite, currently in production, will monitor the impact of clouds and tiny atmospheric particles (aerosols) on atmospheric radiation. Key focus areas will include investigating the interrelationships between clouds and precipitation, and their effects on radiation.

MetOp-SG

These two satellites will provide continuity for meteorological measurements currently collected by in-orbit MetOp satellites. Improved spectral and spatial resolution measurements are among the enhancements in this second generation.

Merlin

This joint satellite programme (CNES and DLR) is set to study greenhouse gases and global warming. The satellite will use LIDAR to probe the atmosphere and determine the varying concentrations of methane. This gas, along with carbon dioxide, is one of the main contributors to the greenhouse effect.

MicroCarb

This satellite will launch the first European mission dedicated solely to measuring CO2 levels using a spectrometer at visible and near infra-red wavelengths. This mission will complement Merlin, which measures methane levels by LIDAR.