Climate, ESA and NASA join forces

ESA and NASA join forces in the fight against climate change and announce a strategic partnership to enhance the Earth sciences. The goal of NASA and ESA is to ensure that the data from Earth observation satellites are used to the best, deepen the science and thus bring maximum benefit to humanity. The partnership was formalized by the director general of ESA, Josef Aschbacher, and by the administrator of NASA, Bill Nelson, through the signing of a declaration of intent. The agreement aims to pave the way to lead a global response to climate change, by monitoring the Earth and its environment with their combined efforts in Earth science observations, research and applications. “Climate change is a global challenge that requires action: now,” said NASA administrator Bill Nelson. “NASA and ESA – he said – are leading the way in space, building an unprecedented strategic partnership in the Earth sciences. This agreement will set the standard for future international collaboration, providing the information so essential to face the challenges posed. from climate change and helping to answer and address the most pressing questions in earth sciences for the benefit of the United States, Europe and the world. ” It is not the first time that ESA and NASA join forces. Teams from the two space agencies have worked side-by-side on field campaigns in the Arctic to validate their respective CryoSat and IceSat missions and also work together and with other partners on the recently launched Copernicus Sentinel-6 mission, which is a new mission to extend the long-term record of sea level rise. “Without a doubt, space is the best vantage point for measuring and monitoring climate change, but joining forces is also the key to addressing this global problem. This is why today’s agreement between our organizations is so crucial.” observed the CEO of ESA, Josef Aschbacher. “Timing is also important, particularly if we look at the Cop26 climate conference later this year, where we have the opportunity to further make space an integral part of the solution when it comes to climate change mitigation,” added Aschbacher. Just last May, NASA announced its Earth System Observatory, which will design a new series of Earth-focused missions to provide key information to guide efforts related to climate change, disaster mitigation, forest fire fighting and improvement of agricultural processes in real time. The joint mission statement complements the ongoing activities for the Earth System Observatory. ESA and NASA are also defining a new gravitational mission to shed new light on essential processes of the Earth system such as the water cycle. For example, it will “weigh” the water in its various locations, such as underground and in the oceans, to understand the distribution and transport of the mass of water. Through the new strategic partnership, ESA and NASA will explore and develop new ways of working together, achieve synergy between their activities, coordinate and cooperate on strategic programmatic, scientific and political interests and identify processes to work together more efficiently. and quick.