TROPOMI on the ESA Sentinel-5 Precursor: A GMES mission for global observations of the atmospheric composition for climate, air quality and ozone layer applications

The ESA (European Space Agency) Sentinel-5 Precursor (S-5 P) is a low Earth orbit polar satellite to provide information and services on air quality, climate and the ozone layer in the timeframe 2015-2022. The S-5 P mission is part of the Global Monitoring of the Environment and Security (GMES) Space Component Programme. The payload of the mission is the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) that will measure key atmospheric constituents including ozone, NO2, SO2, CO, CH4, CH2O and aerosol properties. TROPOMI has heritage to both the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) as well as to the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY (SCIAMACHY). The S-5 P will extend the data records of these missions as well as be a preparatory mission for the Sentinel-5 mission planned for 2020 onward. The mission is pre-operational and is the link between the current scientific and the operational Sentinel-4/-5 missions. This contribution describes the science and mission objectives, the mission and the instrument, and the data products. While building on a solid foundation of the heritage instruments, the S-5P/TROPOMI mission is an exciting step forward with a strong focus on the troposphere. This is achieved by a combination of a high spatial resolution and improved signal-to-noise, as well as dedicated data product development. It is anticipated that the S-5 P mission will make a large contribution to the monitoring of the global atmospheric composition, as well as to the scientific knowledge of relevant atmospheric processes. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.