THE ROSE-L MISSION ADVISORY GROUP
DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION
24 FEBRUARY 2026 – 17 MARCH 2026 – 12:00 hrs noon (CET)
Submit your application for the ROSE-L Mission Advisory Group here – [OPEN]
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.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF CALL RESULTS
We shall evaluate all applications in Q1 2026.
ROSE-L MISSION ADVISORY GROUP OVERVIEW
This purpose of this call for membership of the ROSE-L Mission Advisory Group (MAG) is to recruit scientific advisers to support ROSE-L during Phases D and E1, advising ESA on the development and commissioning of the Copernicus Expansion Mission. Members of the ROSE-L MAG are expected to play an active role in providing expert advice on trade-offs regarding the implementation of mission deployment and operations elements, strategies for achieving mission performance verification and documentation at Level-1 and Level-2, preparation of product calibration and validation and the preparation and uptake of the ROSE-L ground segment by user and service community. Members will be selected on the basis of relevant scientific and technical expertise.
The MAG tenure currently spans the development and commissioning activities through to the In Orbit Commissioning Review (IOCR) currently foreseen in 2029, after which point membership will be reviewed.
ROSE-L Mission Description
ROSE-L (Radar Observing System over Europe in L-band) is a Copernicus Expansion SAR mission designed to provide L-band radar imaging of Europe, the global landmass, ice, and oceans. Its primary objective is to fill critical observational gaps in the current Copernicus Space Component (CSC), especially for emerging applications and user needs that are not fully covered by existing services. The uniqueness of ROSE-L is linked to the L-band wavelength, that penetrates deeper into natural materials like vegetation, dry snow, and ice compared to C-band, and enhances robustness for interferometric applications in scenarios with abrupt and large surface and ice motion. The ROSE-L mission is however not designed in isolation but rather to complement and enhance the existing Copernicus observation system, especially Sentinel-1. By coordinating data collection with Sentinel-1, ROSE-L will maximize the benefits for users, deliver enhanced information products through its complementary L-band sensitivity, and expand coverage at European and Global level with more frequent radar images.
ROSE-L is designed to address a wide range of operational needs, including:
- Geohazard Monitoring: Extending ground motion information to vegetated areas and improving flood mapping particularly beneath vegetation cover;
- Land Use, Land Cover (LULC) and Biomass: Enhancing the monitoring of LULC, including for agriculture and forestry, and providing above-ground biomass density (AGBD) information;
- Soil Moisture Monitoring: Generating high-resolution soil moisture information beneath vegetation canopies;
- Arctic and Cryosphere Monitoring: Improving sea ice mapping, iceberg detection, extending the monitoring of glaciers and ice caps and addressing the information gaps in Snow Water Content (SWE).
- Maritime Surveillance and Marine Monitoring: Providing more frequent and complementary observations for vessel, iceberg, oil spill detection as well as for sea state, surface wind and swell.
In this system-of-systems perspective, ROSE-L has been designed as a constellation of two satellites operating in a sun-synchronous orbit with ground tracks and incidence angles closely matching those of Sentinel-1, enabling synergistic observations within the Copernicus system. The mission guarantees a minimum revisit frequency of 6 days globally, with increased coverage—3 days over Europe and daily over the Arctic. Its primary SAR mode offers dual-polarization capability, a ground resolution of 50 m², and very low noise levels. Key features such as reliability, rapid data delivery, a European free and open data policy, and systematic acquisitions distinguish ROSE-L from other non-European L-band SAR missions and support the ongoing evolution of the Copernicus Programme. Implementation began in 2020 (phases B2/C/D/E1), and in 2025, ROSE-L advanced to Phase D following a successful Critical Design Review (CDR). The launch of the first satellite, ROSE-L A, is currently foreseen in 2029.
USEFUL RESOURCES
