EUMETSAT to provide space data and support to Copernicus programme

The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) will provide space data and operational support to Copernicus marine, atmosphere and climate change services. The agreement was signed between the European Union and EUMETSAT on 7 November 2014. Copernicus is a programme of the European Union to provide reliable, accurate and timely environmental information.

EUMETSAT will support the Copernicus space component and services. In doing so, it will use start using data of the Jason-3 and Sentinel-3 oceanographic missions on behalf of the European Union as of 2015. EUMETSAT further explained in a press release: "As of 2020, EUMETSAT will fly the Copernicus Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5 instruments on its Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) and Metop-Second Generation (Metop-SG) satellites. Based on the unique synergy between these Copernicus and the EUMETSAT instruments flown on both families of spacecraft, EUMETSAT will deliver integrated data services for the monitoring of atmospheric composition and forecasting of air quality."

The EUMETSAT Director-General said: ”With this agreement we will capitalise on the synergy between EUMETSAT and Copernicus assets to deliver new integrated data services for the monitoring of ocean and atmospheric composition and create unique opportunities for users in the EU and EUMETSAT Member States.”