Understanding Earth insights: Getting to know the Copernicus Data
Space
The European Union’s Space Programme
[https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-space/eu-space-programme_en]
is responsible for the implementation of space activities such as
earth observation, satellite navigation, and space research. One of
the main components of the programme is Copernicus
[https://www.copernicus.eu/en/about-copernicus], which is the European
Earth Observation system. Named after European scientist and observer
Nicolaus Copernicus, it offers insights drawn from satellite earth
observations and in-situ (non-space) data. The information collected
by Copernicus’ Sentinel satellites has been compiled and can be
found on the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem
[https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/about] (CDSE).  

The CDSE provides access to large amounts of free and open Earth
observation data, which can be used for observation and analysis by
its users. The ecosystem is working on further improving access and
exploitation of EU’s Copernicus satellite data, as well as
supporting users in building applications needed for accurate, timely,
and objective information. The CDSE also provides the option to use
cloud-based processing tools such as JupyterLab [https://jupyter.org/]
and openEO [https://openeo.org/] to analyse data without having to
download it. The ecosystem also wants to facilitate all users in
utilising their data, which is why they provide toolkits for everyone
to easily process and analyse the data in a way that supports their
needs.   

By being the first ecosystem that provides users with almost all
historical satellite data available from the Sentinel satellite
constellations, the CDSE is the perfect place to access information
from the Copernicus programme. The primary goal is to ensure instant
data availability to all users free of charge and real-time
accessibility. As a part of EU’s vision for Common European Data
Spaces
[https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/data-spaces], the
CSDE goes beyond being just a satellite information programme, but
also a public good. Recently, the programme also launched their
newest Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission
[https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/cams-looking-forward-new-copernicus-satellite-mission-sentinel-4?utm_source=socialmedia&utm_medium=tw&utm_campaign=cams-looking-forward-new-copernicus-satellite-mission-sentinel-4]
to help gain more knowledge on earth data. 

By making Earth observation data accessible, the Copernicus Data Space
Ecosystem [https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/about] promotes a new
generation of solutions for a more resilient future on the
planet. To learn more about how Copernicus data is being used by
European countries, visit data.europa.eu [https://data.europa.eu/en]
and check out the datasets. 

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You can also connect with other users through our collaboration
channel
[https://data.europa.eu/dashboard/en/community/collaboration-channel].

Publication Date/Time
2025-07-14T08:00:00+00:00
How the Copernicus Data Space is advancing open access to satellite
data