## 5 Earth Observation Emerging Missions and Advancements
One of these missions is CHIME (Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission), which starts in 2028 and is expected to complement Copernicus Sentinel-2 for applications such as land-cover mapping, providing routine hyperspectral observations to increase the capabilities, accuracy, and spatial resolution of current products. The CHIME mission will consist of two satellites (CHIME-A and CHIME-B) providing systematic hyperspectral images to map changes in land cover and aid sustainable agricultural practices; it will be launched in 2028. The satellite will operate with Visible (VIS), Near Infrared (NIR), and Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) spectrum at a spectral bandwidth of less than 10 nm, with a spatial resolution of 30 m with a revisit time of 10-12.5 days. Compared to multi-spectral missions, both satellites will have more (narrow) spectral bands in the visible-to-shortwave infrared range, allowing for more accurate determination of biochemical and biophysical variables. In addition, the availability of a continuous spectrum makes algorithms more effective in a variety of agricultural applications to support sustainable management [123]. The spatial resolution obtained from these satellites will also be beneficial to capture the fine spatial features typical of inland and coastal waters and, thus, to improve the land use and cover (LU/LC) maps for flood risk assessments. Furthermore, slated for launch in 2028, the Radar Observing System for Europe in L-band (ROSE-L) represents an Earth-observing synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mission under development by the European Space Agency (ESA). The main goal of ROSE-L is to streamline geohazard monitoring, monitor alterations in land use, agriculture, and forestry, and provide detailed soil moisture data. The mission's objective is to utilize the ROSE-L SAR instrument, which operates in the L-band, to function as a high-resolution, versatile, and all-weather imager. This will enhance the capabilities of the current Copernicus C-band SAR systems. The L-band radio, with its longer wavelength, has the distinct ability to penetrate dense vegetation, greatly improving imaging capabilities in these situations. The primary objective of the L-band SAR mission is to systematically observe and assess soil moisture levels beneath the vegetation canopy across different types of vegetated land cover during the whole period of plant growth. The L-band SAR has a longer wavelength, which allows it to penetrate the soil more deeply compared to higher-frequency bands, such as C-band. Thisenables a closer and more detailed observation of the root zone. Ref. [124] emphasized the importance of L-band SAR, showing that it is more sensitive to soil moisture for areas with no vegetation and moderate plant cover densities compared to C-band radar signals. The ability of ROSE-L to infiltrate plant cover and directly assess soil moisture beneath the canopy possesses significant promise for augmenting our comprehension of soil moisture dynamics across diverse land cover categories. This feature is especially beneficial for agricultural management since it allows for accurate monitoring of soil moisture, which is essential for optimizing irrigation techniques and guaranteeing optimal water utilization in different agricultural activities. To summarize, the upcoming ROSE-L mission, equipped with its advanced L-band SAR technology, offers a substantial enhancement to our ability to observe soil moisture beneath vegetation, thereby contributing to the improvement of agricultural practices, more effective land management, and enhanced monitoring of geohazards in various landscapes.