ESA Earth Observation Data Policies: Principles, Current Status and Reforms

Data policies for earth observation satellites are crucial for the exploitation of the products and the success of the programme. Over the last decades different trends can be observed regarding data policies. In the past, even public data providers like national and international space agencies showed some interest in using the data for commercial purposes. ¹ Recently, there is a shifting trend towards open data policies motivated by the conviction that this will stimulate the downstream market and lead to the creation of value-added products and setting up of new services. The evolution of the data policies of the European Space Agency (hereinafter referred to as ‘ESA’ or the ‘Agency’) over the last years reflects this tendency. The following contains a description of ESA’s earth observation missions, their data policies and the relevant legal aspects.