Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES): Challenges and Next Steps for the Space Component {SEC(2009) 1439} {SEC(2009) 1440} {SEC(2009) 1441}
Date: 2009-10-28
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, access to information, environmental monitoring, fact-finding mission, financing, information processing, international cooperation, public safety, satellite communications, space research

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 28.10.2009 
COM(2009) 589 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES):  
Challenges and Next Steps for the Space Component 

{SEC(2009) 1439} 
{SEC(2009) 1440} 
{SEC(2009) 1441} 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES):  
Challenges and Next Steps for the Space Component 

INTRODUCTION 

1. 
In  2005,  the  EU  made  the  strategic  choice1  of  developing  an  independent  European  Earth 
observation capacity to deliver services in the environmental and security fields, called Global 
Monitoring for Environment and Security. GMES is firmly rooted on existing capacities and 
is  complemented  by  additional  EU  components.  This  is  an  important  difference  to  the 
approach chosen for Galileo. 

For the space component, GMES builds on numerous scientific missions that are implemented 
through  ESA2  and  national  space  agencies3  programmes.  Some  EU  Member  States  have 
established  operational  capacities,  a  number  of  them  to  address  their  security  and  defence 
needs4.  Moreover  an  intergovernmental  process  is  in  place  through  EUMETSAT  for 
operational  meteorology.  The  EU,  through  GMES,  bridges  the  gaps  between  these  two 
operational  strands  to  complete  the  European  observation  capabilities  through  the  Sentinel 
space  missions5.  For  the  foreseeable  future  it  is  not  foreseen  to  give  GMES  a  defence 
dimension. 

To date, significant resources have been allocated to develop GMES: through ESA and within 
the  EU  budget  through  the  7th  Framework  Programme  for  Research  and  Technological 
Development  (2007-2013).  This  investment  ensures  the  development  of  the  Sentinel  space 
constellation  and  the  implementation  of  data  access  schemes  to  the  relevant  EUMETSAT, 
ESA and national missions. The foundations are therefore laid for the continuity of European 
Earth observation beyond 2013, which is a prerequisite for the gradual development of GMES 
services, for which the Commission ensures the federation of user requirements. 
As announced in the 2008 GMES Communication6, GMES consists of a space, an in situ and 
a  service  component.  This  Communication  deals  with  the  space  component  of  GMES.  The 
Space Component is the principal determinant of the ability of the EU to deliver its ambitions 
for the EU Earth observation programme because the spaceborne assets dictate by and large 
the range of services that may be delivered as well as accounts for a significant proportion of 
the overall cost of the system. 

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COM(2005) 565, 10.11.2005. 
Including the Earth Explorer Missions, ERS and ENVISAT. 
Including  the  French  SARAL  (Satellite  avec  ARgos  +  Altika),  Venus,  Megha-Tropiques,  Parasol, 
Demeter and Calipso, the German EnMap and BIRD and the Belgian VEGETATION mission. 
The French Pléiades, the German TerraSAR-X and TandemX and the Italian COSMO-SkyMed. Other 
national missions include the French SPOT series, the German RapidEye, the Spanish SEOSAT and the 
UK-led DMC. 
The 6 Sentinel series of missions comprise currently 7 individual satellites and two payloads onboard 
host spacecraft.  
COM(2008)748 final of 12.11.2008 

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2. 

DECISIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR 

Overall, the build-up phase of the GMES Space Component is well under way and the first 
Sentinels  are  planned  to  be  launched  starting  in  2012.  In  addition,  since  2008,  four  pre-
operational GMES services have been launched, including: 

•  A land monitoring service; 

•  A marine service; 

•  An atmospheric composition monitoring service; 

•  An emergency response service. 

The  contribution  of  GMES  to  climate  change  and  security  services  will  need  to  be  further 
defined. 

GMES services currently make use of Europe's science missions, operational meteorological 
satellites  and  third-party  missions.  GMES  services  have  already  proven  helpful  for  the  EU 
and  the  international  community,  in  particular  in  responding  to  such  disasters  as  floods  and 
earthquakes in Southeast Asia and the forest fires in Europe in an efficient and timely manner. 

The GMES services have been designed and planned to use data from the Sentinels. 

On  the  institutional  side,  the  Commission  has  set  the  scene  for  the  architecture,  governance 
and financing aspects of GMES including the Space Component in 20087. In response, the EU 
Competitiveness Council invited the Commission to report in 2009 on the progress made on 
preparation of the shift towards the full operational stage of GMES including funding through 
national  and  European  contributions  based  on  a  shared  governance  approach8.  The 
Commission  adopted  a  proposal  for  a  GMES  Regulation9  and  the  6th  Space  Council10 
reaffirmed  the  need  for  the  EU  to  establish  a  budget  strategy  within  the  framework  of  the 
definition of the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework. 

3. 

BEING PREPARED FOR THE NEXT STEPS 

Following  on  the  development  of  GMES  at  pre-operational  stage  on  the  basis  of  combined 
EU and ESA investments, further steps need to be taken to ensure that the investment taken so 
far pays off and that GMES becomes fully operational in the most cost-conscious way. 

In  the  short-term,  it  is  important  to  assure  the  financing  for  the  operations  of  Sentinels  1,  2 
and  3  A  units  which  are  the  first  to  be  launched.  The  Commission's  proposal  for  a  GMES 
programme regulation makes provision for a financial contribution. It is equally important to 
complete the financing of the build-up phase (development and launch) of Sentinels 1, 2, 3 B 
units. 

Seamless  Sentinel  data  continuity  towards  the  users  should  be  guaranteed  through  the  most 
cost-effective  approach  ensuring  best  value  for  money.  Therefore,  there  will  be  a  need  to 
ensure the operations and successive replacement by recurrent units of all 12 GMES Sentinel 
missions. Whilst it is desirable to assure Europe stays at the cutting edge of satellite design, in 
the  context  of  an  operational  programme  frequent  technological  upgrades  (which  always 
mean  a  new  generation  of  satellites)  should  be  avoided.  All  decisions  need  to  be  taken  by 
2011. 

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COM(2008) 748, 12.11.2008. 
Competitiveness Council Conclusions "Towards an EU GMES Programme" 16267/08 of 2.12.2008 
COM(2009) 223, 20.5.2009. 
Council Resolution 10500/09 of 29.05.2009. 

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Keeping GMES fully operational in the next decade means a continuous research effort and 
guaranteed data access from other missions. Indeed, GMES will draw on some 40 missions 
owned by ESA, EUMETSAT and some EU Member States. Data access schemes for private 
operators and through international cooperation are being prepared. Although satellite lifetime 
varies, these missions are, in general, currently planned until roughly 2020. There is also an 
issue whether Member States intend to continue these missions. For the sake of the continuity 
and cost-efficiency of GMES, clarity is needed from Member States concerning the planning 
for the continuation of these missions11. 
According  to  the  ESA  long  term  scenario12  analysis,  the  financial  effort  would  represent  in 
total  some  € 4  billion  for  the  period  2014-2020.  This  investment  includes  estimated  annual 
costs of € 430 million for the ope rational activities and €170 m illion for R&D. Finally, there 
is  a  need  to  continue  the  discussion  whether  the  envisaged  scope  of  GMES  should  be 
upgraded beyond 2020  or  not.  This  examination will have to take place against observation 
and  information  requirements  as  indentified  by  the  EU  and  the  background  of  an  increased 
frequency of space observations worldwide. 

The  6th  Space  Council  invited  ESA  to  consolidate  the  long  term  scenario  analysis  through 
further consultation with EUMETSAT and Member States owning space infrastructure by the 
end of 2009. The potential EU contribution to GMES beyond 2013 will be identified against 
this programmatic context and will be subject to an ex-ante budgetary evaluation within the 
framework of the definition of the next EU Multi-annual Financial Framework. It is however 
important to underline that investments in GMES are based on long-term commitments which 
are associated with long-term financial expenditure. 

4. 

OWNERSHIP AND DATA POLICY 

In  accordance  with  its  proposal  for  a  GMES  Programme  Regulation  to  support  the 
implementation of a full and open access data policy, the Commission intends, in consultation 
with ESA, to develop a legal and regulatory framework for GMES. 

In  this  context,  the  ownership  of  the  Sentinels  is  still  an  open  issue  which  needs  to  be 
clarified. The Council has mandated the Commission to do that13. According to the EC-ESA 
Agreement on the Implementation of the GMES Space Component, ESA currently takes care 
and custody of the satellites, space systems and other items produced in the framework of the 
GMES Space Component programme, including the Sentinels, until further arrangements are 
made. 

Ownership  confers  exclusive  rights  and  control  of  the  property  which  allows  the  owner  to 
determine how a given space infrastructure should be used. Hence, ownership is intrinsically 
linked to governance. The owner of the infrastructure should also be the programme manager 
in order to be able to make decisions on the nature of the infrastructure, the conditions of its 
use and the related obligations such as maintenance, liability and asset management. 

One  possible  way  forward  is  that  the  Commission  would  become  owner  of  Sentinel 
infrastructure  on  behalf  of  the  EU.  This  approach  would  be  coherent  with  that  being 
developed  for  EU-led  space  applications  programmes,  notably  the  European  GNSS 
Programmes  (EGNOS  and  Galileo).  However,  further  discussion  with  all  stakeholders  is 

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Planning  to  commercialise  missions,  or  industrial  planning  to  continue  developing  certain  missions 
commercially,  cannot  be  a  legal  commitment  but  will  always  be  contingent  on  the  viability  of  the 
corresponding business models.  
ESA/C(2009)36: 
Council Resolution 10500/09 of 29.05.2009. 

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needed  and  a  final  decision  will  only  be  taken  once  priorities  and  allocations  of  the  new 
Multi-annual Financial Framework (beyond 2013) have been established. 

One of the most important actions linked to ownership is the implementation of a data policy 
aiming to the widest and easiest possible access for the users. 

Following  the  full  and  open  access  principle  in  the  proposed  GMES  regulation,  the 
Commission will suggest the following principles for the Space Component: 

•  A free and open access data policy for the Sentinels through a free of charge licensing and 
online  access  scheme,  subject  to  security  aspects.  Such  an  approach  aims  at  maximising 
the  beneficial  use  of  Sentinel  data  for  the  widest  range  of  applications  and  intends  to 
stimulate the uptake of information based on Earth observation data for end users. 

•  Improved data access conditions negotiated for missions not under the control of the EU, 
against  a  financial  contribution  and  provided  that  it  can  be  cost-efficient.  Achieving  a 
partnership  approach  with  the  Member  States  and  other  nations  operating  third-party 
missions should be the ambition. 

5. 

GOVERNANCE 

The  Commission  has  proposed  to  establish  and  sustain  an  operational  European  Earth 
observation  capacity  through  an  EU-led  programme.  ESA  contributes,  through  its  GMES 
Space Component Programme, to the development phase of the operational EU programme. 

Therefore, the implementation of the GMES Space Component will depend on the successful 
interaction  of  the  following  main  actors:  the  European  Commission  assisted  by  Member 
States,  ESA  as  the  coordinator  of  the  GMES  Space  Component,  and  EUMETSAT.  In  the 
view  of  the  Commission,  the  following  assignment  of  tasks  would  maximize  the  synergies 
between the different partners. 

The European Commission will ensure the overall coordination of the EU Earth observation 
programme including programme management, federation of user requirements, data policy, 
EU budget implementation and international cooperation and support to market development. 
The Commission will rely, where relevant, on the scientific and technical expertise, including 
remote sensing, of its Joint Research Centre. 

The  Commission  will  set  up  a  coordination  mechanism  with  the  GMES  Partners  Board 
through  focusing  the  discussions  and  facilitating  decisions  in  the  relevant  boards  of  other 
partners (ESA, EUMETSAT, Member States). 

ESA is best placed and should therefore continue to act as the development and procurement 
agent on behalf of the EU. 

ESA  will  also  operate,  ad  interim,  space  infrastructure  for  land  monitoring  and  emergency 
response, until a final operator is identified. 

EUMETSAT will operate space infrastructure for oceanography and atmospheric composition 
monitoring. 

ESA  and  EUMETSAT  would  have  to  establish  structures  in  order  to  adequately  manage 
delegated tasks for and on behalf of the EU. 

6. 

PROCUREMENT POLICY FOR THE GMES SPACE INFRASTRUCTURE 

The  main  objective  of  the  operations  phase  of  the  Sentinels  is  to  ensure  a  continuous  data 
flow towards the users. This will include not only technical aspects, such as the control of the 

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space  infrastructure  and  data  distribution,  but  also  the  gradual  replenishment  of  the  space 
infrastructure in the decades to come. 

The overall approach for procuring space infrastructure should be identified building on the 
lessons  learnt  of  the  current  build  up  phase  of  the  GMES  Space  Component  and  the  well-
established ESA/EUMETSAT cooperation model for meteorological satellites. The following 
principles should be included: 

•  The  purpose  of  procuring  space  infrastructure  is  to  ensure  a  continuous  availability  of 
Earth observation data. This implies that the development of the follow-on generation and 
the exploitation of the existing infrastructure take place in parallel. 

•  The  procurement  should  aim  at  ensuring  best  value  for  money  and  maintaining 
technological non-dependence for Europe. It should be implemented through competition 
whilst ensuring the best possible use of space industrial capacities in Europe. It has to be 
kept  in  mind  that  infrastructure  and  its  exploitation  last  over  long  programmatic  cycles 
(e.g. 15-20 years). 

7. 

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION 

International  cooperation  has  always  been  intertwined  with  GMES  as  the  European  Earth 
observation  capacity.  GMES  is  addressed  in  bilateral  space  dialogues  between  the  EU  and 
major space nations, in order to identify ways of balanced cooperation. 

The  EU  conducts  a  dialogue  with  the  African  Union  and  African  regional  organisations  to 
examine ways of using GMES in support to development policies. 

GMES is also at the heart of the EU contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of 
Systems (GEOSS): Data sharing principles defined in this multilateral forum form one of the 
bases for the Sentinel data policy. 

In  the  context  of  the  Committee  of  Earth  Observation  Satellites  (CEOS),  the  Space 
component of the GEOSS, the Commission aims at maintaining a dialogue with international 
partners and  contributes  to the  virtual  Earth  observation constellations developed notably in 
support to climate change observation. 

8. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The Commission will be the programme manager of GMES and organise itself accordingly. 
For the Space Component, this means: 

•  Finalising  the  development  phase  of  the  current  constellation  of  six  Sentinel  series  and 

operating the infrastructure to ensure timely and seamless flow of data to the users; 

•  Preparing the recurrent units and future technological upgrades of the space infrastructure, 

based on an established user requirement consolidation process. 

The  Commission  will  further  examine  the  issue  of  ownership,  including  the  option  of 
becoming owner of the Sentinel infrastructure jointly funded by the EU and ESA. 

Subject  to  successful  adoption  of  the  proposed  GMES  Programme  Regulation,  the 
Commission will pursue the implementation of a free and open access policy for the Sentinel 
data. 
In line with the 6th Space Council Resolution, the Commission will propose a funding strategy 
on  the  basis  of  a  consolidated  ESA  long  term  scenario  analysis,  including  the  design  of 

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adequate  instruments  and  funding  schemes  for  the  Space  Component  bearing  in  mind  the 
cost-effectiveness of the GMES operations. 

The Commission, in coordination with ESA, will conduct dialogues with Member States, and 
with  EUMETSAT  and  its  Member  States  to  address  synergies  with  other  European  Earth 
observation strands and analyse the added value of community action. 

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ANNEX : A Brief Overview of the GMES Missions 

The GMES Space Component  comprises 6  series of Earth observation Sentinel missions. 
Some 12 missions split into six constellations are currently under development. 
The Sentinel series comprise constellations of a number of units14. 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. 

•  Sentinel 1: High-resolution microwave imaging 

The build-up phase of the Sentinel 1 series comprises an initial constellation of two satellites 
(known  as  the  A  and  B  units).  Sentinel  1  carries  a  Synthetic  Aperture  Radar  (SAR).  It 
provides all-weather capability and is useful for land applications and provides overview data 
under adverse weather conditions for emergency response and security. SAR interferometry 
has proven scientific value for terrain motion monitoring. The launch of the Sentinel 1 A is 
due for mid-2012. The B unit is planned although some of its elements remain unfunded to 
date. 

•  Sentinel 2: High-resolution multispectral imaging 

The build-up phase of the Sentinel 2 series comprises an initial constellation of two satellites 
(known as the A and B units). Sentinel 2 is useful for land applications and provides overview 
data for emergency response and security. The launch of the Sentinel 2 A is due for 2013. The 
B unit is planned although some of its elements remain unfunded to date. 

•  Sentinel 3: Medium-resolution multispectral imaging and altimetry 

The build-up phase of the Sentinel 3 series comprises an initial constellation of two satellites 
(known  as  the  A  and  B  units).  Sentinel  3  is  useful  for  global  land  and  ocean  colour 
monitoring. It also carries an altimeter providing complementary observations to those of the 
Jason series. The launch of the Sentinel 3 A is due for 2013. The B unit is planned although 
some of its elements remain unfunded to date. 

•  Sentinel 4: Atmospheric composition monitoring from geo-stationary orbit 

The  build-up  phase  of  the  Sentinel  4  series  comprises  atmospheric  composition  monitoring 
instruments  to  be  embarked  onboard  EUMETSAT  spacecraft  for  the  Meteosat  Third 
Generation (MTG) mission. The launch is foreseen in the 2017 timeframe and will depend on 
the launch dates for the MTG mission. 

•  Sentinel 5: Atmospheric composition monitoring from low-Earth orbit 

The  build-up  phase  of  the  Sentinel  5  series  comprises  atmospheric  composition  monitoring 
instruments to be embarked onboard EUMETSAT spacecraft for the post EUMETSAT Polar 
Orbiting  System  (known  as  post-EPS  mission).  The  first  launch  is  foreseen  in  the  2019 
timeframe and will depend on the launch dates for the post-EPS mission. 

A Sentinel 5 precursor satellite is currently under development to be launched in 2014 to fill 
in the gap between the ESA ENVISAT mission and the Sentinel 5 instruments to be embarked 
onboard the EUMETSAT post-EPS mission. 

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Known  as  the  A  and  B  units  flying  simultaneously,  whose  operations  will  cover  the  2013-2020 
timeframe, followed by the C and D units as foreseen in the ESA long term scenario. 

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•  Jason-CS mission: high-precision altimetry 

Continuity of high-precision altimetry missions in support of ocean surface topography as a 
follow-on to the Jason series. 

In addition the GMES Space Component programme relies on some 40 missions owned by 
Member States, ESA, EUMETSAT and other third parties to meet the needs for GMES 
services.  These  missions  are  listed  in  the  ESA  GMES  Space  Component  Programme 
Declaration  and  they  are  referred  to  as  contributing  missions.  Data  access  schemes  are  in 
place to assure the availability of their data for GMES services. 

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