The Multi Spectral Imager (MSI) onboard EarthCARE is a seven-band, push-broom scanner used to provide images at 500 m ground sampling distance over a 150 km wide swath, which is offset from nadir pointing and distributed -35 to +115 km in order to minimise sun-glint.

The imagery will serve as context information for the quasi-simultaneous along track measurements of the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) and Atmospheric Lidar (ATLID) instruments, and provide additional data on cloud types, texture, cloud top temperature and other micro-physical parameters such as cloud phase. Collection of aerosol information is a goal requirement.

The Level 1 product is radiance in the visible, near infrared (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) bands, and brightness temperature in the thermal infrared (TIR) bands.