With these new services to improve our ability to monitor our planet's oceans, changing land and atmosphere, the EU continues to deliver on its Space Strategy for Europe and is meeting the demands of a rapidly growing global market for space enabled applications.

"This new satellite will deliver valuable images of how our oceans and land are changing. This will not only speed up the response to natural disasters but also create new business opportunities. Earth observation is a larger market than you would think – a driver for research discoveries, a provider of highly skilled jobs and a developer of innovative services and applications," said Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs.

Photo: ESA