ESA's Earth Explorer satellite missions are scientific satellite missions that aim to improve our understanding of Earth system processes and dynamics. These missions focus on specific aspects of Earth's environment and climate system.
There are two candidates currently competing to become the ESA’s EE11 mission: CAIRT and WIVERN.
The EE11 UCM event, which will be held on 9 July 2025 in Prague, Czech Republic, is planned to support the final selection of one of these two missions to enter development as Earth Explorer 11.
In this UCM, these two candidate Earth Explorer missions will presented to the Earth observation scientific community by their respective scientific and technical teams. UCM participants will have the opportunity to learn about both missions and to ask questions and to provide critical feedback. The presentations and feedback provide input to the recommendation and decision-making process that will ultimately lead to the final selection of one mission to proceed to full development.
A brief introduction to each candidate mission is provided below:
CAIRT, seeks to unravel the intricate connections between circulation and composition throughout the middle atmosphere, and the role they play in climate forcing and feedbacks. By tomographic imaging of many atmospheric trace gases and wave imprints at unprecedented spatial resolution, CAIRT will enhance our understanding of global atmospheric dynamics, chemistry, and transport of greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances. The mission will further explore the coupling of our atmosphere with space weather and help to constrain climate impacts by stratospheric aerosols.
WIVERN, will provide the first space-based observations of in-cloud winds, addressing a major gap in the global observing system. In addition, it will measure the properties of mesoscale cloud and precipitation systems, including vertical motions and the three-dimensional distribution of ice mass. These observations will significantly advance our understanding of the processes involved in the formation, organisation, and lifetime of cloud systems, ranging from tropical cyclones to polar lows and low-level marine clouds. Furthermore, as demonstrated through data assimilation, WIVERN observations will greatly improve the representation of the initial state of the atmosphere in the numerical weather prediction model, and hence the quality of weather forecasts.
The event can be attended both in-person and online. In-person registration ends on 27 June 2025. Virtual participation ends on 8 July 2025.
Watch livestream on ESA Web TV Two. Livestream does not offer interactive participation.
