Getting a satellite ready to be launched involves a long list of jobs, but with the Copernicus Sentinel-3B satellite now fuelled, this particular 'to do' list is significantly shorter. And, importantly, all is on track for lift-off on 25 April.

The batch of new results from ESA's Swarm mission has not only included the highest-resolution map of the magnetic field generated by Earth's crust and a map of the tiny magnetic signals from the oceans, but also, remarkably, some unexpected insight into lightning in the upper atmosphere and geomagnetic storms.

The magnetic field is arguably one of the most mysterious features of our planet. ESA's Swarm mission is continually yielding more insight into how our protective shield is generated, how it behaves and how it is changing. Adding yet another string to its bow, Swarm is now tracking changes in the magnetic field produced in the oceans in more detail than ever before.

ESA's CryoSat mission has revealed that, over the last seven years, Antarctica has lost an area of underwater ice the size of Greater London. This is because warm ocean water beneath the continent's floating margins is eating away at the ice attached to the seabed.

Awarding outstanding ideas and applications that use Earth observation data to tackle challenges faced by business and society, the Copernicus Masters 2018 competition is now open for submissions.

A view looking north to south of Egypt's famous Giza Pyramid Complex, as seen by ESA's Proba-1 minisatellite on 6 January 2018.

In this special edition of the Earth from Space programme, Martin Visbeck, Head of Physical Oceanography at GEOMAR and new Chair of the Advisory Committee for Earth Observation (ACEO), and Josef Aschbacher, Director of ESA's Earth Observation Programmes, join the show to discuss how ACEO will further benefit Earth observation and science.

With the Sentinel-3B satellite now at the Plesetsk launch site in Russia and liftoff set for 25 April, engineers are steaming ahead with the task of getting Europe's next Copernicus satellite ready for its journey into orbit.

According to this year's Global Risk Report by the World Economic Forum, water crises are one of the five biggest risks to society. ESA is working with development banks to help water-resource authorities use information from satellites to manage this precious resource.

ESA's former Earth Science Advisory Committee has been changed, in name and in fact. Now called the Advisory Committee for Earth Observation, it is the senior advisory body to the Director of Earth Observation Programmes, acting as the Director General's representative, on all matters concerning Earth sciences included in ESA's Earth observation science programme.