The EU Earth observation programme Copernicus turns 20

In 1998, a manifesto was signed in Baveno, Italy, proposing to create a European environment monitoring programme. Today Copernicus is a symbol of Europe's space power. The seven satellites currently in orbit give access to tens of terabytes of free data every day which is used to help save lives at sea, improve our response to natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, forest fires or floods and allow farmers to better manage their crops. For example, it's mapping service was requested by the government of Guatemala following the volcanic eruptions in early June. Under the €16 billion EU Space Programme beyond 2020, the Commission proposes to expand these existing services to meet emerging needs, such as CO2 monitoring and polar missions to help fight climate change.

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