ESA's future plans for Earth observation from polar orbit

Recently Earth observation by remote sensing has evolved to an operational status in many application areas. After the successful launch and operation of ERS-1 and with ERS-2 being finalised for launch in 1994, the European Space Agency has set the scene for further atmosphere-ocean-climate missions with particular emphasis on ocean and ice processes. Beyond the ERS series of satellites, ESA is supporting the requirements of the science community with regards to our environment by the provision of the environmental satellite "Envisat-1". The payload of Envisat-1, which exploits both the optical and microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum, will continue and extend the ERS missions focusing primarily on environmental studies with a special emphasis on oceanography and atmospheric chemistry. In parallel the provision of a series of satellites (the METOP series) is being studied with EUMETSAT. These satellites are intended to make a major contribution to operational meteorology. The proposed launch dates are 1998 for Envisat-1 and the year 2000 for METOP-1. Via its Earth Observation Preparatory Programme (EOPP), ESA is also studying candidate payloads for thematic missions after Envisat-1 and METOP. This paper concentrates on the planned contribution of ESA to Earth observation from polar orbit in the near and long term, outlining the main objectives and components of the planned missions.<>