Marco Meloni (EUMETSAT, Germany); Carolina Nogueira Loddo (EUMETSAT, Germany); Remko Scharroo (EUMETSAT, Germany); Julia Figa Saldana (EUMETSAT, Germany); Conrad Jackson (EUMETSAT, Germany)

Copernicus is a component of the European Union Space Programme. It looks at our planet and its environment for the benefit of all European citizens. It offers information services that draw from satellite Earth Observation and in-situ (non-space) data. EUMETSAT is responsible for the continued operation and exploitation of the existing Copernicus Sentinel-3 and -6 ocean-monitoring missions, the up-coming Sentinel-4 and -5 atmosphere monitoring missions and future missions designed to monitor carbon dioxide and the climate.

Within the expansion of the Copernicus Sentinel Constellation, ESA is developing the Copernicus polaR Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL)), planned for launch in 2027. CRISTAL’s secondary objective is to contribute to the observation of global ocean topography as a continuum up to the polar seas in terms of . This will contribute to the observation system for global observation of mean sea level, mesoscale and sub-mesoscale currents, wind speed and significant wave height. Information from this mission serves as critical input to operational oceanography and marine forecasting services as well as ice thickness retrieval in the polar oceans. In this mission, EUMETSAT is entrusted to operate the marine data centre generating operational global ocean products.

This presentation will present EUMETSAT plans towards the development and definition of CRISTAL marine data centre. We will present the work plan for the next years, the envisioned products for this data centre, as well as all science activities planned to ensure that CRISTAL products are operational for the ocean surface topography community.