Copernicus

Copernicus is the European Earth observation programme looking at our planet and its environment for the benefit of Europe's citizens

More about Copernicus

Sentinel series

Copernicus Sentinel missions that have been developed for the specific needs of the Copernicus Programme.

ASpot - copernicus sentinel 3 CA Fires Aug 2020

Access Copernicus data

The Copernicus Programme provides users with free, full and open access to environmental data.

Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service

EUMETSAT provides data to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), which is operated by ECMWF.

Copernicus Climate Change Service

EUMETSAT provides data to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which is operated by ECMWF.

Copernicus Marine Service

EUMETSAT provides data to the Copernicus Marine Service, which is operated by Mercator Ocean International.

WEKEO

EUMETSAT, ECMWF, Mercator Ocean International and the EEA have developed the WEKEO data information and access service (DIAS) to provide fast and easy access to Copernicus data and products.

The Copernicus programme is the Earth observation component of the European Union’s Space Programme. It aims to provide a wide range of audiences with accurate, timely, and easily accessible information on the health of our planet.

Last Updated

18 September 2025

Published on

26 March 2020

Copernicus delivers data, information and services from Earth observation satellites and ground-based, airborne, and seaborne measurement systems. Data from these sources are provided to users through a set of six Copernicus services: land, marine, atmosphere, climate change, emergency management and security.

The information services provided are free and openly accessible to users.

EUMETSAT provides satellite data, products and support services to the Copernicus information services and user communities, with a focus on the oceans, the atmosphere and more generally the climate.

As a key service provider in the Copernicus Programme, EUMETSAT is responsible for operating the ocean-monitoring Copernicus Sentinel-3A and -3B satellites and Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich.

Data from the Copernicus Sentinel satellites are made available together with data from contributing missions, such as the Jason-3 mission, EUMETSAT’s own Metop and Meteosat missions, and also data from international partners (e.g. USA, China, India and Japan).

In the next few years, EUMETSAT will also operate and deliver products from the Sentinel-4, and Sentinel-5 instruments onboard Meteosat Third Generation and Metop Second Generations satellites, respectively, as well as from several new and next generation Copernicus missions.

To help ensure fast and easy access to this wealth of data, EUMETSAT jointly developed and manages WEkEO, the global Copernicus data and information access service platform, together with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, the Mercator Ocean International and the European Environment Agency.

WEkEO offers easy online access to Copernicus data including all data from Sentinel satellites and the Copernicus marine, land, atmosphere and climate services.

The Earth observation satellites that provide the data used by the Copernicus services are split into two groups: the Copernicus Sentinels and the contributing missions.

The Copernicus Sentinel missions include the Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3, Sentinel-5P and Sentinel-6 satellites that are currently operational, and Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5, which are instruments onboard EUMETSAT’s MTG and Metop-SG satellites that will be launched in the coming years.

EUMETSAT is responsible for operating the Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-6 missions and delivering the marine data and will also operate and deliver products from the Sentinel-4, and Sentinel-5 instruments.

After 2026, EUMETSAT will operate, process and disseminate the data from the future Copernicus anthropogenic carbon dioxide-monitoring mission, CO2M, and generate global atmospheric and ocean products from the future Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) and Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL) polar-monitoring missions.

Further down the line, the new generations of Sentinel satellites: Sentinel-3 Next Generation TOPO (topography by altimetry), Sentinel-3 Next Generation OPT (Earth optical imaging) and the Sentinel-6 Next Generation mission will also be operated from EUMETSAT’s control centre.

The contributing missions, are operated by national, European or international organisations and provide a wealth of data for Copernicus services.

EUMETSAT delivers products to the Copernicus programme from several contributing missions that include its Metop and Meteosat satellites, the Jason-3 satellite (NASA/NOAA/CNES/EUMETSAT/EU), and also from international partners, for example, sea surface temperature and ocean colour data from the US Suomi-NPP satellite.

Copernicus data user uptake

Copernicus data user uptake 2024 report

The 2024 report highlights rising user numbers and download volumes, driven in part by the introduction of new products from Sentinel-6 and the atmospheric composition data streams of Sentinel-3.

Related pages

International europe / Credit: Adobe stock

Relationships with partners in Europe

EUMETSAT’s vision is to be the leading user-driven operational meteorological satellite agency in Europe.

Bilateral partnerships

EUMETSAT cooperates with national agencies beyond its member states to fulfill its missions and vision.

Multilateral partnerships

EUMETSAT maintains global, multilateral and bilateral cooperation frameworks through the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Regional collaborations

EUMETSAT is committed to easing access to, and use of, our data

Destination Earth

Destination Earth (DestinE) is a major initiative of the European Commission through DG CONNECT

WEKEO

EUMETSAT, ECMWF, Mercator Ocean International and the EEA have developed the WEKEO data information and access service (DIAS) to provide fast and easy access to Copernicus data and products.