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Browse through success stories, infographics, documents, and more. Learn about ESA’s Earth Observation community and satellite data applications. For EO Quality Control Reports visit Quality Reports Advanced Search
DLR honours pioneering Aeolus collaboration with prestigious science award
11 Dec 2025
A groundbreaking collaboration between ESA's Aeolus mission and a cosmic-ray observatory in Argentina has been recognised with the German Aerospace Center's highest scientific honour.
Urla, Türkiye: As seen by ALOS-1
27 Nov 2025
This ALOS-1 PRISM image, taken on 2 October 2011, shows part of the Urla Peninsula in Izmir Province, on the west coast of Türkiye.
Hội An City, Vietnam: As seen by Pléiades
27 Nov 2025
This Pléiades satellite image, acquired on 25 May 2014, shows Hội An City in Vietnam.
Sholan Island, Yemen: As seen by SPOT 6
27 Nov 2025
This SPOT 6 satellite image, acquired on 15 November 2013, shows part of the Zubair Islands, a series of volcanic islands off the coast of Yemen.
Casablanca, Morocco: As seen by Landsat-7
27 Nov 2025
This Landsat-7 ETM+ image, taken on 7 December 2000, shows Casablanca in Morocco.
Hormuz Strait, Iran: As seen by ICEYE
27 Nov 2025
This ICEYE satellite image of Hormuz Strait, Iran, was acquired on 23 December 2012.
Coast of Yemen: As seen by GeoEye-1
27 Nov 2025
This GeoEye-1 image, acquired on 1 October 2009, shows the southern coast of Yemen at Bi'r Ali Cove.
Four ways commercial satellites boost marine monitoring
25 Nov 2025
Marine monitoring was once the domain of institutional missions but, over the past decade, the rise of commercial satellites and constellations has transformed how ocean environments are observed and protected.
Commercial satellite data and marine monitoring
25 Nov 2025
Discover how ESA’s Third Party Missions (TPM) programme includes a range of commercial missions that monitor the marine environment.
Improving emergency response with the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters
20 Nov 2025
Established 25 years ago, the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters is an international agreement between space agencies to rapidly deliver satellite information to emergency responders during major crises.
How Satellites See the Winds Inside Tropical Storms
19 Nov 2025
From calm breezes to destructive cyclones, winds shape Earth’s weather and climate. Satellites allow us to observe these dynamic patterns from above — revealing their structure, strength, and change.
Swarm decodes mathematical pattern behind GPS outages
18 Nov 2025
It has long been known that space-based navigation systems often suffer disruption in equatorial regions after sunset due to disturbances in the upper atmosphere. Now scientists have used Swarm data to show that these disturbances fluctuate according to a well-known mathematical law of nature.
Swarm on the pulse of severe geomagnetic storm
13 Nov 2025
In the early hours of 12 November 2025, the Swarm satellites began to detect the effects of the severe geomagnetic storm that reached G4 intensity as two coronal mass ejections (CME) reached Earth following two strong X-type solar flares.
EarthCARE’s broadband radiometer sees contrails over the Bay of Biscay
12 Nov 2025
Contrails are elongated clouds that are formed by aeroplanes at high altitude. Under certain conditions of temperature and humidity, contrails can persist and evolve in aviation-induced cloudiness (AIC). The radiative effect of these clouds on Earth's climate, their climate forcing, is receiving more attention as it becomes evident that they are responsible for a non-negligible part of the climate impact of the aviation sector.
Contrail climate effects under EarthCARE’s spotlight
12 Nov 2025
Reducing the climate impact of air travel is a key goal, as the sector continues to expand globally. Aviation contributes 2.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions, but the industry is responsible for 5% of global warming. Contrails are part of that story – and EarthCARE has the perfect suite of instruments to measure them.
Commercial satellite data in culture and heritage research
31 Oct 2025
Commercial Earth observing satellites, whose data are disseminated via ESA’s Third Party Missions (TPMs) programme, are having an increasing impact on the study, management and conservation of heritage sites.
An unlikely pairing – cosmic ray detectors and space lasers prove mutually beneficial
28 Oct 2025
When ESA's groundbreaking Aeolus satellite began experiencing a mysterious signal loss in 2019, help came from an unexpected source: a cosmic ray observatory in Argentina that had detected the spacecraft's UV laser beam.
Satellites help unveil ancient irrigation networks beneath desert sands
21 Oct 2025
Researchers have used satellite observations to map thousands of kilometres of previously unknown ancient irrigation systems across the Middle East and Central Asia. Their findings revealed sophisticated water management networks that could inform modern approaches to drought and water scarcity.
EarthCARE dazzles with ocean blooms, rainforests and ice
15 Oct 2025
Earth Explorer siblings, the European Space Agency's EarthCARE satellite is delivering data far beyond its initial objectives.
EarthCARE’s lidar measures land and ocean surface depolarisation
14 Oct 2025
The Earth, Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) mission continues to deliver new insights into how these elements of Earth’s system interact. New applications for land and ocean monitoring are being explored with the satellite’s Atmospheric Lidar (ATLID).