The overall objective of the COSMO-SkyMed programme is global Earth observation and the relevant data exploitation for the needs of the military community as well as for the civil (institutional, commercial) community.

Examples of applications for COSMO-SkyMed data include the following fields:

• Defence and security applications: Surveillance, intelligence, mapping, damage assessment, vulnerability assessment, target detection/localisation
• Risk management applications: Floods, droughts, landslides, volcanic/seismic, forest fire, industrial hazards, water pollution
• Other applications: Marine and coastal environments, agriculture, forestry, cartography, environment, geology and exploration, telecommunication, utilities and planning
• Provision of commercial imaging services

The high revisit frequency offered by the four X-band SAR spacecraft also offers a unique opportunity to the operational meteorological user community through provision of ancillary data and/or data on meteo-correlated phenomena, in particular as regards to sea ice monitoring and study of ocean wave patterns.

A strong emphasis is given to the dual-use (civil and military) nature of the system. The IEM (Interoperability, Expandability and Multi-sensoriality) concepts are also stressed, since these qualities make COSMO-SkyMed a versatile system able to expand its architecture toward a set of 'partner missions.'