Explore EU Space | EU Space Policy

Image of the day

Copernicus Sentinel-2 image showing the Huelva wildfire's burn scar.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Huelva wildfire among Spain’s worse of 2026

On 6 August 2026 a major wildfire broke out near Niebla, in the province of Huelva, southern Spain. After more than a week of firefighting operations, authorities declared the blaze stabilised on 16…

News

A Galileo Second Generation satellite stands partly assembled in an Airbus cleanroom, its body wrapped in black and white panelling with gold thermal foil visible on one folded side. A sign in the foreground reads "Galileo 2nd Generation Satellite switch-on"

Satellite Navigation

Galileo

OBSERVER: Precise timekeeping with Galileo

In this Observer, we examine Galileo’s timing capabilities, how they support international timing coordination, and what lies ahead for the EU’s satellite navigation system.

Image of the day

Copernicus Sentinel-2 image acquired on 16 August 2026 showing Lake Velence in central Hungary. The green-coloured lake is surrounded by agricultural land and the settlements of Velence, Gárdony and Sukoró, with shallow shoreline areas visible around parts of the lake.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Record-low water levels at Lake Velence, Hungary

Lake Velence, Hungary’s third-largest lake, located southwest of Budapest, is affected by record-low water levels following prolonged dry conditions. By 1 August 2026, its water level fell below the…

Image of the day

Copernicus Sentinel-2 image of the wildfire in the High Fens Nature Reserve, eastern Belgium, showing a broad plume of grey smoke spreading across the landscape, with bright white clouds nearby and active fire fronts visible in red-orange tones.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Wildfire in the High Fens nature reserve, Belgium

A wildfire broke out on 14 August 2026 in the High Fens nature reserve, in the province of Liège, in eastern Belgium. By 16 August, around 3,000 hectares had burned, making it Belgium’s largest…

Image of the day

Four-panel satellite comparison showing drought conditions in southern England in August 2026.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Severe drought across southern Britain

Over the summer of 2026, dry conditions have been affecting the United Kingdom. According to the European Drought Observatory (EDO), 25% of the territory of England was in Alert conditions and 65% in…

Image of the day

Map of Pereira, Colombia, showing earthquake-related damage identified by the Copernicus Emergency Management Service following the 10 August 2026 magnitude 7.4 earthquake.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Earthquake causes widespread damage in Colombia

On 10 August 2026, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, causing severe damage across the region. According to the latest reports, the earthquake has resulted in 289 casualties and…

Image of the day

Satellite image of the Buccaneer Archipelago off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia, showing the rugged coastline and numerous islands and waterways.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Turquoise waters surround the islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago

The Buccaneer Archipelago comprises more than 800 islands off the Kimberley coast of north-western Australia. The archipelago is known for its complex coastline, strong tidal currents, rocky islands,…

Image of the day

Copernicus Marine data visualisation of sea surface temperature

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Marine heatwave conditions persist in the western Mediterranean

Marine heatwave conditions have been affecting the western Mediterranean Sea and parts of the north-eastern Atlantic through the summer of 2026, and unusually warm sea surface temperatures remained…

Image of the day

Satellite image of the eclipse shadow , spanning from northern Greenland to the Svalbard Archipelago and Franz Josef Land.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

The Moon's shadow sweeps across the Arctic Ocean

On 12 August 2026, a total solar eclipse crossed the Arctic Ocean, eastern Greenland, western Iceland, and the northern half of Spain. The area covered by the full eclipse was at most 294 kilometres…

News

Side-by-side Weather Replay App view of the globe comparing ERA5 weather conditions over Europe, North Africa, and the North Atlantic on two dates: 21 July 2026 on the left and 10 August 2003 on the right, both at 12:00 UTC. Warm orange and red tones show high temperatures across much of Europe and the Mediterranean on a scale from −30 to 40°C, while blue and purple shading marks precipitation. Both dates show extensive heat over the European landmass.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

OBSERVER: C3S Weather Replay App lets users explore historical weather conditions

Recent intense wildfires, record-breaking heatwaves in Europe and high temperatures during the 2026 FIFA World Cup have drawn attention to the effects of extreme heat on public health and major…

Image of the day

Satellite image of the Baltic Sea between Denmark and Germany on 8 August 2026, showing extensive green algal blooms swirling in large spiral patterns across the dark blue water. Clouds partially cover the surrounding coastlines, with Denmark visible to the northwest and Germany to the south.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Algal bloom swirls across the western Baltic Sea

Cyanobacteria blooms return to the Baltic Sea every summer, when warm water, light winds, and nutrients carried in from land cause this type of algae to multiply. On 11 August, health authorities in…

Image of the day

Map of Europe showing average surface air temperature anomalies for July 2026 compared with 1991–2020 average. Western and southern Europe are mostly warmer than average, with the strongest warming in France and the western Mediterranean shown in dark red. Northern and eastern Europe are generally near average to cooler than average, with blue areas around Scandinavia, the Baltic, and eastern Europe. Temperature anomalies range from −6°C to +6°C.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

July 2026 was the second-warmest July on record in western Europe

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has published its latest monthly Climate Bulletin, focusing on key climate trends in July 2026. July 2026 was the second warmest July on record in western…

Image of the day

Three side-by-side satellite images of France and surrounding regions in August 2024, 2025, and 2026, showing progressively dry, brown conditions across much of the country. The panels are dated 11 August 2024, 12 August 2025, and 8 August 2026, respectively. Cloud cover varies between the images, while the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Alps, and Pyrenees are visible. Branding identifies the imagery as from the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Severe drought affects France

A severe drought has been affecting large parts of France this summer. According to the European Drought Observatory (EDO), more than 85% of the country was under drought warning or alert conditions…

Image of the day

Satellite image of Björkö in Finland’s Kvarken Archipelago, showing a green, elongated island surrounded by the dark blue waters of the Gulf of Bothnia. Patchwork fields, roads, and the settlements of Björköby and Svedjehamn are visible across the island. A label highlights De Geer moraines—parallel, ridge-like landforms extending through the shallow coastal waters.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Glacial ridges line Björkö in Finland's Kvarken Archipelago

Björkö sits in Finland’s Kvarken Archipelago, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the island's most distinctive features are the parallel De Geer moraines, a series of low ridges deposited as…

Image of the day

Satellite image of Bowknot Bend on the Green River in the United States, showing the river winding through a series of tight, looping meanders carved into pale desert canyon terrain. The river appears dark blue with bright red margins in the false-color imagery. A label identifies the Green River, with location coordinates and a 500 m scale shown on the map.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

The Bowknot bend, carved by the Green river, USA

Bowknot Bend lies in the arid landscape of eastern Utah, north of Canyonlands National Park, in the United States. It marks the point where the Green River flows into a deeply entrenched meander,…

Image of the day

Side-by-side Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite images of the Adamello Massif in the Italian Alps, comparing 7 August 2016 (left) with 5 August 2026 (right). The 2026 image shows substantial glacier retreat and thinning, with much less continuous white ice and snow and more exposed rock and fragmented glacier surfaces.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Glacier retreat on the Adamello massif, Italian Alps

The Adamello Glacier is the largest in the Italian Alps, centred on the plateau of Pian di Neve between Lombardy and Trentino. The 2025–-2026 winter brought little snow over to the massif, exposing…

News

Secure Communication

IRIS²

OBSERVER: How the European Union is accelerating and reinforcing IRIS²

Secure communications underpin the European Union’s security, crisis response capabilities, and strategic autonomy. This is why IRIS², the European Union's Secure Connectivity Programme, was…

News

Two maps of the same area near Padova, Italy: a nighttime light image (a) showing white and amber lights on black, and a classified version (b) showing the same area as coloured pixels sorted by settlement and light type. A legend at right defines the GHS-NTL taxonomy categories; a scale bar shows 5 km.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

OBSERVER: Looking at the Earth after dark – How GHSL and SDGSAT-1 data turn nighttime lights into better decisions

At night, seen from space, our planet redraws itself. Coastlines and terrain fade into darkness, and a web of light takes their place, ‘highlighting’ where people live and move. In this Observer, we…

Image of the day

Satellite image of the coast near Ilulissat, Greenland, on 25 July 2026. Dark blue waters of Disko Bay are scattered with dozens of bright white icebergs of varying sizes drifting away from the mouth of Ilulissat Icefjord, which is covered by a large expanse of sea ice at the lower right. The town of Ilulissat appears along the rocky coastline on the right, with labels identifying the bay, icefjord, and icebergs. An inset map marks the location in Greenland, and Copernicus Sentinel-2 branding, coordinates,

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Icebergs turns over off Ilulissat, Greenland

This natural-colour image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 25 July 2026, shows several icebergs drifting across the dark blue waters of Disko Bay, western Greenland. Dense…

Image of the day

Four-panel satellite image titled “Low Water Level Across Europe’s Major Rivers,” showing river conditions in early August 2026. The panels show the Loire in France, the Po in Italy, the Rhine in Germany, and the Danube in Hungary. In each image, dark, narrow river channels are bordered by broad light-colored sandbars and exposed riverbeds, illustrating unusually low water levels. Labels identify each river, country, and date, with Copernicus and European Union branding visible.

Earth Observation

Copernicus

Europe's major rivers at record low water levels

Copernicus Sentinel-2 images acquired between 1 and 3 August 2026 reveal exceptionally low water levels along sections of four of Europe's largest rivers: the Loire near Saumur in France, the Po near…