EN    EN EN 
 
EN    EN  COMMISSION OF THE E UROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 28.10.2009 
SEC(2009) 1439 
  
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
 
Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES):  
Progress Report on the GMES Space Component  
Accompanying document to the 
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE CO MMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMI TTEE OF THE REGIONS 
 
Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES):  
Challenges and Next Steps for the Space Component 
  
{COM(2009) 589 final} 
{SEC(2009) 1440} {SEC(2009) 1441} 
 
EN 2   EN COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES): 
Progress Report on the GMES Space Component 
1. INTRODUCTION  
As a European Space Policy flagship, GMES intends to establish and maintain an operational 
space Earth observation programme wh ich will foster the links with in situ infrastructure and 
favour the emergence of services for a range  of domains starting with land monitoring, 
emergency response, atmospheric compositi on monitoring, operational oceanography and 
followed by security and climate monitoring. 
To date, significant resources have been allocated both through ESA and the EU budget 
through the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (2007-
2013) to develop GMES. Current combined i nvestments, implemented through the ESA 
GMES Space Component Programme, amount to 624 M€ (28%) and 1621 M€1 (72%) by the 
EU budget and ESA Participating States contributions respectiv ely. This investment will 
ensure the development of the Sentinels and will  also ensure data access schemes to a number 
of relevant public or private missions.  
The 2008 GMES Communication2 has set the scene for the architecture, governance and 
financing aspects of GMES including its Sp ace Component. In its conclusions, the EU 
Competitiveness Council reaffirmed the need for the estimating costs and defining a sustainable funding and governance approach.  
In parallel, at the ESA Council at Ministerial level in Novemb er 2008, Member States have 
demonstrated their active support for the further development of GMES and in particular its 
Space Component. 
In 2009, the Commission adopted a proposal for a GMES Regulation
3 and the 6th Space 
Council4 reaffirmed the need for the EU to esta blish a budget strategy within the framework 
of the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework.  
This report follows those institutional m ilestones and provides additional technical, 
programmatic and financial elements for the GMES Space Component. 
2. THE USE OF EARTH OBSERVATION  
Space-based Earth observation systems have a unique potential to provide a wealth of 
information about a wide range of physical pa rameters over continental surfaces, oceans and 
the Earth's atmosphere. Such information is highly relevant to environmental, climate and security monitoring and is increasingly required to be delivered with a short re-visit time and 
uniform spatial distribution world-wide. 
Observing from space is the only realistic means for gathering frequent information about 
remote locations, including under adverse me teorological conditions, thus guaranteeing 
timeliness of information. In addition, as the same sensors and methodology are used at global 
                                                
 
1 Figures are shown in 2008 economic conditions. 
2 COM(2008)748 of 12.11.2008 
3 COM(2009)223 of 20.05.2009 
4 6th Space Council orientations of 29.05.2009 
 
EN 3   EN scale, comparisons can be made between different  countries or regions anywhere in the world. 
Moreover, spaceborne observations provide large coverage or global views thus 
complementing ground truth data which are acquire d on a sample basis (in-situ observations). 
Today, Earth observation data are primarily used by the public sect or. Examples include: civil 
protection authorities and their networks (e.g. fo rest fires, floods); in ternational emergency 
operators, security and defence actors, agri culture ministries (e.g. agri-environmental 
measures, checks); environment ministries (e.g. water, soil, forests, air quality, pollution, 
ozone hole, UV monitoring); ur ban planning; cartography and cadastre agencies; transport 
ministries (e.g. vessel monitori ng, oil spill monitoring, ship routing, sea-ice monitoring); 
meteorological services (e.g. for weather foreca sts and protection of life and properties) and 
oceanographic institutes (e.g. sea-surface  temperature, ocean colour/chlorophyll 
concentration, sea level height). 
While it is important to ensu re sustainable observing system s for these needs and looking 
ahead towards the future, we cannot ignore the pr essing need for readily available information 
anytime, anywhere. Spaceborne Earth observati on is, in turn, close to meeting its most 
promising application thanks to the advent of  mass geo-coded portals enabling any user with 
Internet access to view  the whole globe. Further developmen ts are bound to have an impact 
on the use of Earth observation. 
Technical and programmatic options should, therefor e, be examined with a view to increasing 
the frequency of observations worldwide. Coupl ed with a full and ope n access data policy, 
such an approach is expected to bring Earth observation closer to the downstream sector and 
open a new era for the development of mass market Earth observation applications. 
3. STATE -OF-PLAY  
Beyond scientific missions, European operati onal systems for spaceborne Earth observation 
have seen some rapid progress in the last decades. On the one hand, an intergovernmental 
process for operational meteorology is in pl ace through EUMETSAT, le ading to long-term 
programmatic and financial commitments on sa tellite series. On the other hand, some 
Member States have established imaging capacities  targeting their defence and security needs. 
Between those two strands and following a gap analysis, the GMES Space Component is 
being developed. It comprises six Sentinel  missions respectively targeting different 
observations. Each Sentinel mission will be impl emented through a short series of identical 
satellites - typically four - covering a period of 15-20 years of continuous observations. 
Thereafter, new generations of  satellites will be developed. 
The Sentinel missions can be gr ouped in two major categories: 
• Systematic observations of wide areas. 
This category includes systems that monitor biogeophysical para meters over wide areas, often 
globally, on a routine and sustained basis, main ly addressing requirements for atmospheric 
composition monitoring, oceanography includ ing altimetry, global land monitoring, and 
climate monitoring. Sentinels 3, 4, 5 a nd Jason-CS fall into this category. 
• Imaging of targeted areas. 
This category includes high to very-high resolution radar and multispectral imaging missions 
often based on satellite tasking mainly ad dressing requirements for land monitoring, 
emergency response and security. Sentin els 1 and 2 fall into this category. 
 
EN 4   EN 4. OBSERVATION CONTINUITY FOR GMES  SERVICES BEYOND 2011 
4.1. Systematic Observations for Operati onal Oceanography and Atmospheric 
Monitoring  
For this category, there is a need to reinfo rce emerging user communities starting with 
atmospheric composition monitoring and operati onal oceanography, so that  they can engage 
into preparing shared infrastruc ture. Moreover, there is a need to gradually reinforce synergies 
between the requirements of these emerging us er communities with those of operational 
meteorology. 
Member States have already expressed thei r interest in exploring synergies between 
operational meteorology, oceanography and atmo spheric composition monitoring. For the 
future, it seems appropriate to gradually bui ld stronger links with the space segment of 
operational meteorology. In the short term, so me instruments (Sentinels 4 and 5) for 
atmospheric composition will be hosted on board  meteorological satellites of EUMETSAT. It 
is expected that systematic coordinati on will be implemented for future missions. 
The GMES oceanographic and atmospheric servi ces are designed to exploit the data flow 
provided by Sentinels 3, 4 and 5, to be complemented by data from EUMETSAT meteorological missions. Until the Sentinels are launched, pre-operational services will rely 
on data from ESA science missions (e.g. Envisat). 
The EU will rely on EUMETSAT to operate Sen tinels 3 (marine part), 4 and 5 missions in 
order to ensure the necessary flow of data  in the GMES oceanographic and atmospheric 
services. 
In the current scheme, space observation requirements for operational oceanography and 
atmospheric composition monitoring have been id entified through an ad hoc user consultation 
process. 
The EU needs to establish a formal process for consolidating space observation requirements 
and validating the response offered by the space infrastructure. Such a process already exists 
for operational meteorology.  
The EU and ESA will hold a dialogue with EUMETSAT and its Member States in order to 
examine the institutional mechanisms for re lying on EUMETSAT to implement a similar 
process, for and behalf of the EU, for GM ES oceanographic and atmospheric monitoring 
space observations. Dedicated bodies could be cr eated within the framework of EUMETSAT, 
bringing together national repr esentatives of the relevant user communities. These bodies 
could be mandated to perform all necessa ry preparatory analysis and provide 
recommendations for decisions by the GM ES governance bodies managed by the EU. 
High-precision altimetry can be a fi rst building block in that respect. Indeed, it is important to 
ensure the involvement of a user community ma ndated to represent national authorities in the 
field of operational oceanography while analys ing options for international cooperation
5. 
In parallel, as mentioned in  the 2008 Commission Communication6, similar options should be 
explored for the coordination of GMES oceanographic and atmospheric composition 
monitoring services, for and on behalf of the EU, by the European Centre for Medium-range 
Weather Forecasting (ECMWF). In this highly speci alised scientific and technical field there 
                                                 
5 To date high precision altimetry observations have been guaranteed through a co-operation scheme 
between France, NASA and more  recently EUMETSAT and NOAA. 
6 COM(2008)745 of 12.11.2008 
 
EN 5   EN are no other organisations which can perform th ese tasks. In order to accompany the user 
uptake it is important to consolidate the emer ging European capacity initiated under FP7. 
Service continuity towards the user community should be ensured following the expiry of the 
FP7 collaborative projects currently in place. Su ch an approach is expected to establish a 
long-term institutional scheme for GMES serv ice operators in thes e thematic areas. 
Building on their successful cooperation model in  the field of operational meteorology, it is 
proposed that ESA and EUMETSAT should inte ract as follows for the definition and 
implementation of future infrastructure related to oceanography and atmospheric composition monitoring, for and on behalf of the EU: 
• EUMETSAT should consolidate GMES user requirements for space observations, exploit 
space infrastructure and interface with the relevant user communities. 
• ESA should manage the development of infr astructure correspondin g to consolidated 
needs. 
4.2. Observations for Land Monitoring, Emergency Response and Security 
For imaging systems, spaceborne Earth observati on is not yet a sustained information source 
for operational use that can stimulate the uptake by the downstream sector mainly due to lack 
of structured user communities r eady to engage into funding of shared infrastructure; the need 
to improve synergies between civil and defe nce space programmes; lack of frequent 
observations; and complex and costly access conditions. 
With respect to satellite imaging systems,  GMES only addresses systems of civil use 
including civil aspects of dual-use systems. De fence imaging systems are not within the scope 
of the foreseeable development of GMES. 
The EU will rely on ESA, ad interim, for the op erations of part of the Sentinel infrastructure
7. 
Options for the identification of another entity  will depend on the future approach for high to 
very-high resolution imagery and may includ e: extending the mandat e of existing public 
European organisations; using national public a nd private capacities; or establishing a new 
European entity. 
The EU needs to establish an adequate process for consolidating space observation 
requirements in these domains. However, in  the absence of a European organisation 
equivalent to EUMETSAT, options should be e xplored for the user consultation process and 
its associated bodies involvi ng national representatives. 
With a view to preparing a robust European capacity for land monitoring and emergency 
response and security based on high-and very-hi gh resolution imagery as a means to improve 
the offer and stimulate the demand for such da ta, the EU, with the su pport of ESA, should 
develop with Member States a joint appro ach on how to combine national and European 
capacities. Options should be examined in th at respect. The long-term approach for 
infrastructure in support of land monitoring, em ergency response and secu rity services will 
depend on the outcome of the consensus reached w ith national infrastructure owners for high 
to very-high resolution missions. The Commi ssion and ESA will hold dialogues with Member 
States owning infrastructure, in order to achieve a sh ared understanding about  the future terms 
of cooperation. 
As commercial data providers in Europe are impo rtant partners in satisf ying the data needs of 
GMES Services, there will be parallel discussions  with these providers to have an exchange 
                                                 
7 Currently, these are Sentinels 1, 2 and the land part of Sentinel 3. 
 
EN 6   EN on the advance planning for the development of Earth Observation missions and data 
provision. 
5. PROGRAMMATIC AND FINANCIAL ASPECTS  
The GMES Space Component comprises 6 series  of Earth observation Sentinel missions. 
Some 12 missions split into six constellati ons are currently under development. 
The Sentinel series comprise constellations of several units8. This is the answer to the user 
requirements for the implementation of GMES  services, which expressed the need for 
observation continuity and seamless access to  data, redundancy in the context of an 
operational system and increased  frequency of observations. 
In addition the GMES Space Component programme relies on some 40 missions owned by 
Member States, ESA, EUMETSAT and other th ird parties to meet the needs for GMES 
services. These missions are listed in the ESA GMES Space Component Programme Declaration and they are referr ed to as contributing missions. Data access schemes are in 
place to assure the avai lability of their data  for GMES services. 
The GMES Space Component is currently at its development phase. Current combined 
investments, implemented through the 7
th Framework Programme for Research and 
Technological Development (2007-2013) and the ESA GMES Space Component Programme, 
amount to 624 M€ (28%) and 1621 M€9 (72%) from the EU budget and ESA Participating 
States contributions respectively. 
The Council has taken note of the ESA Long-term Scenario10 document as the basis for the 
estimations of the GMES Space Component evolu tion and costs. According to this analysis, 
the financial effort would represent in total some €4 billion for the period 2014-2020 
including estimated annual costs of €430 m illion for the operational activities and €170 
million for R&D. 
The costs of the operational programme include fo r each of the six Sentinel series, the space 
segment, ground segment, launchers and operations  costs. A data access provision is made to 
ensure access to GMES contributing missions. For all elements, an R&D effort is estimated to 
prepare for system evolution to develop new Sentinel missions and the new generation of 
satellites for agreed Sentinel series. 
The cost breakdown for these elements is presented in the table below. 
GMES Space Component 2014-2020 (M€) Annual costs 
2014-2020 (M€) 
Space Segment (including launchers) 1420  
Ground Segment and 
Operations 1130  
Data access 450  
                                                 
8 Known as the A and B units flying simultaneou sly, whose operations will cover the 2013-2020 
timeframe, followed by the C and D units as foreseen  in the ESA Long-term S cenario (ESA/C(2009)36) 
9 Figures are shown in 2008 economic conditions. 
10 ESA/C(2009)36 
 
EN 7   EN Total - operational 
programme3000 430 
Total - R&D 1230 170 
TOTAL 4230 600 
Table 1. GMES Space Component Cost Breakdown (c.e.c) 
As a comparison, it should be noted that space infrastructure investments made by Member 
States for operational mete orology through EUMETSAT and ES A are in the order of 400M€ 
annually. 
A number of short-term programmatic and fina ncial aspects need to be addressed by 2011 
including: 
• the operations for the Sentinel 1, 2 and 3 A units due for launch in the 2012-2013 period; 
• the launch and operations of the Sentinel 1, 2 and 3 B units which could be ready for 
launch in the 2014-2015 period; 
• the development of the Sentinel  5 and Jason-CS missions; and 
• the procurement of the recurrent C units for Sentinels 1, 2 and 3.