Europe: Copernicus, IRIDE and the Push for Sovereign EO
What is Europe building in Earth observation, and how much of it will be bought from companies?
Chapter summary
Europe runs the world's largest free EO programme, Copernicus, and is now adding sovereign and defence capability.
Key takeaways
- 1
At the November 2025 ESA ministerial, member states backed European Resilience from Space for Earth observation (ERS-EO); in 2026 ESA awarded architecture studies for a future EU Earth Observation Governmental Service (EOGS) to ICEYE and to a Leonardo-led team.
- 2
Italy's IRIDE constellation, run with ESA and the Italian space agency, put 31 satellites in orbit in 2025–2026.
- 3
Germany is buying a SAR constellation from a Rheinmetall–ICEYE joint venture.
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