EARTH EXPLORER 12 PHASE A MISSION ADVISORY GROUP
DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION
30 OCTOBER 2026 – 12:00 hrs noon (CET)
Submit your application for the Earth Explorer 12 Phase A Missions here – [OPEN]
We shall evaluate all applications in Q4 2026.
In order to submit your application, you need to be a registered user. To register or to log in to the site, please go to the Menu in the top left corner. Note that the last uploaded version of your application file (short CV and accompanying statement) to this Group membership application will replace any previously uploaded file on this system, and will be used by ESA for membership evaluation.
EARTH EXPLORER 12 PHASE A MISSION OVERVIEW
This call is opened to renew the Mission Advisory Group (MAG) of the Earth Explorer 12 mission candidates CryoRad, ECO and Keystone, for the Phase A.
By providing expert advice, MAG members will play an important role in the Phase A activities for these mission candidates. Members of this group are expected to provide advice on, a.o., scientific needs of the user community, mission implementation trades-off, calibration, retrieval algorithms, mission data products and performance, assessment of the science impact, as well as campaigns. MAG members will also assist ESA in consolidating and maintaining the Mission Requirements Document (MRD), in writing the report for mission implementation selection (RFS), as well as the User Consultation Meeting in Q3/2028.
The MAG will serve throughout the duration of the EE12 Phase A, that will start with the kick-off of the Phase A activities, expected in Q1 2027, and will end with the selection of one EE12 mission candidate for implementation, expected in Q3 2028 after which membership will be reviewed.
The Earth Explorer 12 CryoRad Mission
CryoRad would target polar regions and their processes, namely the acceleration of ice-sheet mass loss, the reduction of sea ice thickness and the freshening of the Arctic Ocean. The mission would provide low-frequency passive microwave measurements from 0.4 to 2 GHz that allow the estimation of geophysical variables such as ice-sheet temperature profiles down to the bedrock. In addition, the CryoRad measurements will support science related to a wide range of applications including terrestrial hydrology, the Earth’s carbon and energy cycles and space science.
The Earth Explorer 12 ECO Mission
ECO would deliver the first direct measurements of Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI), the fundamental driver of our climate. Since the industrial revolution, the balance between incoming solar radiation and the Earth’s radiation has been disrupted by the emission of greenhouse gases. Using a unique satellite constellation combining Sun and Earth radiometers, and wide-field visible and infrared imagers, ECO would resolve the global radiation budget, benchmark Earth system models, constrain climate trajectories, and provide timely objective evidence to steer climate action.
The Earth Explorer 12 Keystone Mission
Keystone would provide the first direct observations of atomic oxygen in the mesosphere-thermosphere system using a unique combination of limb-sounding techniques covering the altitude range from 50 to 250 km. These observations, together with observations of composition, temperature and winds, would allow scientists to study the processes that drive the variability and energy balance in this region of the atmosphere, also looking at the impact of solar cycles and space weather.
USEFUL RESOURCES
