Brussels, 23/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the European Space Agency (ESA) on Monday 20 July signed a framework agreement on the Global Monitoring for the Environment and Security programme (GMES). The agreement is set to pave the way for future detailed arrangements between the two organisations as part of their cooperation in the field of Sentinelle satellites, which were designed specifically for the requirements of the GMES programme (Sentinelle-3, -4 and -5). It also defines the respective roles and responsibilities of EUMETSAT and of ESA within the space component of the GMES programme. ESA will take responsibility for supplying the GMES Sentinelle missions, the global coordination of the space component of the programme (GSC) and the interface between the GSC and the GMES services. For its part, EUMETSAT will provide its data (in line with its policy governing this), products and services to GMES. It will also be responsible for defining the mission requirements and execution of the Sentinelle missions of GMES, and will then be in charge of exploiting the results.
The two organisations are also planning to conclude a specific execution agreement on cooperation in the space segment of Sentinelle-3 and on the integration of the Sentinelle-4 instruments on the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellites and those of Sentinelle-5 on EUMETSAT's post-EPS system polar satellites. At this stage, EUMETSAT is providing its data and products free of charge, including almost realtime data, to the five basic services of the GMES programme (three accelerated services: monitoring of the continental surface area, monitoring of the marine environment and emergency intervention) and to the two pilot services for the security and composition of the atmosphere. The GMES framework agreement was approved unanimously by the ESA board on 10 June 2009 and by the EUMETSAT board at its most recent session, on 30 June and 1 July 2009, at which a draft programme on GMES Sentinelle-3 programme under the aegis of ESA was also adopted. Basically, the programme gives EUMETSAT the role of Sentinelle-3 operational agency, providing products in quasi realtime and deferred to the GMES marine monitoring services. (A.By/trans.fl)