Designed for research purposes, ESA's Earth Explorer missions are dedicated to monitoring parts of Earth’s system, from the planet’s core out to the ionosphere, to help us understand how this complex system works and to observe how the climate changes over time. Starting with the first Earth Explorer, the Gravity State and Ocean Explorer (GOCE), in 2010, ESA continues to develop and launch a series of innovative missions to help us understand our world.

Learn about the Earth Explorers in this video: