In the identification of European interest and in the
definition of the elements of a European remote sensing space
programme, ESA activities have concentrated on the following
four aspects
- definition of mission objectives and measurement
requirements (1);
- gaining access to already available remote sensing
satellite data through the Earthnet programme(2);
- preparation of remote sensing experiments for use in
Spacelab (4, 5);
- definition of the elements of the future European remote
sensing satellite peogrammes (6).
Each of these aspects is described in detail in the
following sections.
2. OVERALL MISSION OBJECTIVES
Many different types of remote sensing satellite systems
can be envisaged for both regional and global applications;
these include
a) Regional satellites
- to monitor dynamic features in developed regions such
as Europe;
- to provide basic resources information for developing
regions to be used within the framework of develo»-
ment aid programmes.
b) Global satellites
- to monitor the global oceans;
- to monitor the global atmosphere, in particular with
respect to the climate and climate changes, and air
quality measurements;
- to map global resources such as basic food supplies,
soils and forests.
The extent of European involvement will depend on inter-
nal European priorities; it seems clear, however, that high
priority will be given initially to the implementation of
regional space systems providing data that can be applied
both in Europe and within the framework of development aid
programmes. The key missions for such a satellite system
are
ii