The Earthnet Data Assessment Project (EDAP+) continues the work of its predecessor (EDAP 2018 – 2021) and is responsible for assessing the quality and suitability of candidate missions being considered for ESA’s Earthnet Programme as Third Party Missions (TPM).
ESA aims to foster cooperation and collaboration with not only other national space agencies, but also commercial mission providers. In recent years the availability of low-cost small satellites and the innovation of constellations have resulted in an increasing number of commercial companies who have established business models to provide information services fed by their own satellite systems.
These new space players are now playing an important role in the EO international strategy. In addition to assessing satellite data product feasibility and suitability, the EDAP project also establishes dialogues with the various mission providers in order to improve the overall coherence of the EO system. This early data assessment is intended to provide some indication of the potential of each existing mission to remain as a TPM and for new and future missions to become TPMs within ESA's Earthnet programme.