The project focuses on sustaining and enhancing the quality of Sentinel core Level‑1 and Level‑2 data products that underpin the Copernicus Space Component. ESA, in cooperation with partner agencies and the Scientific Research and Innovation Agency (SRIA), conducts research and development activities that support calibration, validation, and processing algorithm performance. These efforts are essential to preserve data accuracy, stability, and the confidence required for operational and scientific applications, such as climate monitoring. A continued, focused R&D programme is deemed necessary to evolve core data products and guarantee the end‑to‑end performance of the Copernicus Programme, while fostering interoperability and synergy with other Earth observation satellites, including future Copernicus Expansion Missions (CEM).

For Sentinel‑1, short‑term R&D priorities include defining algorithms and processing flows that enable a harmonised family of Analysis Ready Data (ARD). This family will span from detected products to ARD that capture the complex nature of SAR data, such as geocoded Single‑Look Complex Data and Interferometric Data. In the ocean domain, the project aims to expand the Level‑2 ocean product family by retrieving wave parameters, thereby extending coverage and promoting data assimilation into weather models. Improvements to ocean wind field retrieval focus on refining the inversion process by removing a‑priori wind constraints from ancillary data, which should broaden the usability of SAR‑derived wind products.

Sentinel‑2 R&D activities target atmospheric correction and cloud screening algorithms that generate Level‑2A operational products. Although significant progress has been made, these domains remain maturing within the scientific community, with international collaboration through CEOS ACIX and CMIX. Additional work concentrates on Level‑2H products that harmonise Sentinel‑2 with missions such as Landsat and PRISMA, and Level‑2F products that fuse data to match Sentinel‑2’s spatial resolution. The research will address band‑pass adaptation, inter‑band calibration, and BRDF corrections, and will seek to establish a common reference or standard.

Sentinel‑3 research focuses on altimetry over complex sea‑ice and ice‑sheet margins, where core Level‑1 and Level‑2 products are not fully exploited. These activities aim to narrow the gap between Sentinel‑3 Altimetry, ESA CryoSat, and CRISTAL, and to improve integration into operational numerical models. The mission also provides new data over lakes and rivers, which will be further exploited to enhance understanding of the water cycle. On the optical side, the Sentinel‑3 SYNergy Surface Reflectance product is evolving toward an Analysis Ready Data format compatible with medium‑term ARD requirements.

For Sentinel‑5 Precursor (S‑5P), the Atmospheric Mission Performance Cluster (ATM MPC) oversees data quality control and validation of Level‑2 products. Several Field‑Based Validation (FRM) programmes have been developed over the past seven years, including the Pandonia Global Network, FRM4GHG for greenhouse gas data, COCCON, and FRM4DOAS for UV‑VIS validation. The operational implementation of FRM4DOAS is expected to activate in early 2024, with TCCON FAST delivering data within at least three months of acquisition. The ESA Atmospheric Data Centre (EVDC) provides a database for accessing calibration and validation files, satellite data, and tools for validation tasks.

The Cal/Val Park initiative is currently in an R&D phase, aiming to create an innovative calibration and validation site. After construction, the Park will serve as a playground for evolving methods and ideas, supporting Copernicus Contributing Missions, Sentinel‑2, and CHIME missions. Partnerships are already defined with the Italian Space Agency (ASI), and further key actors will be investigated. Planned R&D includes the creation of Radiometric and Geometric Match‑Up Databases to support data fusion and validation.

Collaboration is structured around ESA’s leadership, with partner agencies contributing expertise and resources. The SRIA coordinates activities to maximise synergy across Copernicus services, including CEMS, CMEMS, CLMS, and C3S. The project timeline includes a tentative roadmap for 2026‑27, with financing elements pending yearly validation and prioritisation. Key milestones involve sustainable finance for testing and validation of space data for security applications, empowering end‑users, improving data processing capacities, and demonstrating complementary use and data fusion with other observation platforms. Funding is sourced from ESA, the European Union, and Horizon Europe programmes, ensuring alignment with EU strategic and economic autonomy objectives.