ESA’s Earth Observation (EO) Science Strategy expresses ESA’s science vision, and presents priorities and accompanying strategies that reflect the user communities shared values and responds directly to both scientific and societal challenges. The Science Strategy is cross-cutting and applicable to all ESA EO programme activities. It provides the framework that connects scientific research and development, innovative new EO mission ideas and technologies, and mission data exploitation, with applications that address urgent and major Earth system science and deliver societal benefits.

An ambitious science-driven future ESA EO Programmes landscape requires a renewed EO Science Strategy that takes into account the current EO landscape and developments, and strengthens and makes explicit the links between critical science challenges and addressing gaps in Earth system understanding as well as societal benefits. The EO Science Strategy Workshop represents a key event in this process and will support the elaboration of a new ESA EO Science Strategy to be published before the end of 2024.