Draft, not yet released. In stewardship review. Not indexed until the first approved release.

Systems in depth

One section per system: its state at evidence close, its exposures and what the operational series will watch.

9 min read0 figures5 tables25 notesNR-XTECH-EOGEO-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE

Contents
  1. ·Edition home
  2. ·Executive summary
  3. 1Earth observation is infrastructure and evidence
  4. 2Key findings
  5. 3Systems and sectors at baseline
  6. 4Risks and capability
  7. 5Continuity gap in public Earth observation data
  8. 6Readings from the other desks
  9. 7The 2027 agenda
  10. 8Systems in depth
    1. 8.1 Satellites, sensors and orbits
    2. 8.2 Data, archives and compute
    3. 8.3 Orbit, launch and ground segment
    4. 8.4 Funding, economy and workforce
    5. 8.5 Navigation, security and governance watch
  11. AMethodology
  12. BData appendix
  13. CReferences and record
  14. ·Complete edition, for print

8.1Satellites, sensors and orbits

Public and commercial satellites supply optical and radar data. Evidence is strongest where agency pages state launch dates and design, and weakest where counts come from vendors.

8days

Landsat 8 and 9 land coverage2

6days

NISAR average revisit5

13bands

Sentinel-26

Table 8.1State at baseline
ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Landsat 8 and 9launched 2021 for Landsat 9; 8-day land coverage together2Reported
NISARlaunched 30 July 2025; 12-day coverage cycle5Reported
Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1Sentinel-2C launched 5 September 2024; Sentinel-1D reported in orbit 4 November 2025629Reported
Commercial fleetsradar and optical fleets grow; counts differ by source202127Inferred

Couplings

  • INF ↔ FIN missions and funding
  • INF → DAT data supply
  • INF → CLI climate records

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • commercial counts on a common basis
  • delivered milestones against plans

Related editions

  • GLB Global Systems
  • GS-12 Earth Observation and Planetary Intelligence
  • GS-07 Climate and Earth Systems
  • XT-18 Space and Orbital Infrastructure
  • XT-08 Cloud, Edge and Distributed Computing
  • XT-01 Artificial Intelligence and Agentic Systems

8.2Data, archives and compute

Observation data are large and mostly open. Archive access runs through agency portals and commercial cloud services, and the energy footprint of that processing is not published here.

80petabytes

archive listed by a vendor platform, self-reported19

59.24petabytes

NASA EOSDIS archive, 30 September 2021, UNVERIFIED30

64components

per embedding in a vendor dataset, self-reported18

Table 8.2State at baseline
ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Open archivesLandsat Collection 2 is available from commercial cloud with catalogue metadata3Reported
Copernicus accessfree quotas and commercial terms for larger use10Reported
Vendor platformsarchive of over 80 petabytes reported by the vendor19Reported
Footprintenergy and cooling of processing not bound30Expert input

Couplings

  • DAT → CLI records
  • INF → DAT data supply
  • ENE ↔ DAT processing power

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • ground-segment and archive footprint
  • current archive volumes

Related editions

  • GLB Global Systems
  • GS-12 Earth Observation and Planetary Intelligence
  • GS-07 Climate and Earth Systems
  • XT-18 Space and Orbital Infrastructure
  • XT-08 Cloud, Edge and Distributed Computing
  • XT-01 Artificial Intelligence and Agentic Systems

8.3Orbit, launch and ground segment

Observation depends on launch, ground stations and a safe orbit. Orbits are crowded, and materials and ground-segment evidence is thin.

≈40,000objects

tracked in orbit, end of 202415

≈11,000payloads

active among tracked objects15

1.2million

estimated debris objects larger than 1 cm15

Table 8.3State at baseline
ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Tracked objectsabout 40,000 tracked; about 11,000 active payloads15Reported
Debrisestimated 1.2 million objects larger than 1 cm15Estimated
Re-entriesintact objects re-enter on average more than three times a day15Reported
Ground segment and materialsnot bound in the evidence read15Expert input

Couplings

  • INF → INF collision risk
  • TRD → INF launch access
  • MIN → INF materials

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • ground-station capacity
  • materials dependence for sensors

Related editions

  • GLB Global Systems
  • GS-12 Earth Observation and Planetary Intelligence
  • GS-07 Climate and Earth Systems
  • XT-18 Space and Orbital Infrastructure
  • XT-08 Cloud, Edge and Distributed Computing
  • XT-01 Artificial Intelligence and Agentic Systems

8.4Funding, economy and workforce

Public funding and commercial revenue both support observation. Congress passed funding well above the request, and workforce numbers are not bound.

2,153.0USD million

NASA Earth Science, fiscal year 2026 bill24

1,033.2USD million

requested24

307.7USD million

revenue of one commercial operator, fiscal year 2026, UNVERIFIED26

Table 8.4State at baseline
ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
NASA Earth Sciencebill above the request by USD 1,119.8 million, method (3)2432Reported
EU industrynearly 800 companies and EUR 1.8 billion revenue stated by the Commission8Reported
Commercial resultsone operator reports revenue of USD 307.7 million26Reported
Workforceskills gaps reported; no figure bound42Expert input

Couplings

  • FIN → INF scale-up
  • GOV → FIN appropriations
  • HLT → INF workforce

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • public funding totals outside the US
  • workforce size and skills gaps

Related editions

  • GLB Global Systems
  • GS-12 Earth Observation and Planetary Intelligence
  • GS-07 Climate and Earth Systems
  • XT-18 Space and Orbital Infrastructure
  • XT-08 Cloud, Edge and Distributed Computing
  • XT-01 Artificial Intelligence and Agentic Systems

8.5Navigation, security and governance watch

Observation data rely on navigation signals and on rules for licensing and access. Signal loss is rising, and frameworks differ by state.

220%

rise in GPS signal loss events, 2021 to 202423

4workstreams

EASA and IATA plan, June 202523

55variables

GCOS essential climate variables13

Table 8.5State at baseline
ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Navigation interferenceIATA reports a 220% rise in signal loss events23Reported
Licensingprivate remote sensing systems licensed under 15 CFR Part 96022Reported
FrameworksUN-GGIM and the integrated geospatial framework2539Reported
EU rulesUnion Space Programme regulation and the Space Act proposal4041Reported

Couplings

  • TRD → INF navigation
  • GOV → DAT access rules
  • GOV → TRD licensing

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • text of the EU proposals
  • interference effects on observation services

Related editions

  • GLB Global Systems
  • GS-12 Earth Observation and Planetary Intelligence
  • GS-07 Climate and Earth Systems
  • XT-18 Space and Orbital Infrastructure
  • XT-08 Cloud, Edge and Distributed Computing
  • XT-01 Artificial Intelligence and Agentic Systems

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 2USGS (ed.), Landsat 9 (mission page; launched 27 September 2021; 705 km sun-synchronous orbit; 16-day repeat cycle with an 8-day offset from Landsat 8; data at no charge). United States Geological Survey, Reston. Observation year 2021. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  2. 5NASA (ed.), NISAR mission overview (launched 30 July 2025 from India; 12-day coverage; average revisit about 6 days; 3 to 10 m; free and open data). National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  3. 6ESA (ed.), Sentinel-2 (mission page; 2A 23 June 2015, 2B 7 March 2017, 2C 5 September 2024; 13 bands; 10 m; 290 km swath; 5-day revisit). European Space Agency, Paris. Observation year 2024. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  4. 29UNVERIFIED, not opened: ESA (ed.), Sentinel-1D reaches orbit on Ariane 6 (launch 4 November 2025; fourth satellite of the first Sentinel-1 series), taken from search-result summaries; the ESA page returned an access error. European Space Agency, Paris. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  5. 20ESA (ed.), ICEYE, Earth Online third party mission page (82 X-band SAR satellites launched for the ICEYE constellation as of 2026; constellation mean revisit at the equator 20 hours; access by accepted project proposal). European Space Agency, Frascati. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  6. 21ICEYE (ed.), ICEYE launches four new satellites aboard Transporter-17 (release; launch 7 July 2026; 76 satellites launched in total; up to 16 cm resolution claimed; vendor announcement, weak evidence). ICEYE, Espoo. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  7. 27UNVERIFIED, not opened: Vantor (ed.), WorldView Legion constellation (six satellites launched 2 May 2024 to 4 February 2025; 30 cm class; capacity figures differ across summaries), taken from search-result summaries. Vantor, Westminster. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  8. 19Google (ed.), Earth Engine (product page; multi-petabyte catalogue; over eighty petabytes stated; commercial use available and free for academic and research use; vendor statements, weak evidence). Google, Mountain View. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  9. 30UNVERIFIED, not opened: NASA (ed.), Earth Observing System Data and Information System archive statistics (59.24 petabytes on 30 September 2021; projections to 2030 differ by page), taken from search-result summaries; the statistics page returned an access error. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt. Observation year 2021. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  10. 18Google DeepMind (ed.), AlphaEarth Foundations (blog post of 30 July 2025; 10 m embeddings; 24% lower error rate than models tested; over 1.4 trillion embedding footprints per year; vendor announcement, weak evidence, performance self-reported). Google DeepMind, London. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  11. 3USGS (ed.), Landsat Data Access (products free to download since 2008; Collection 2 available from commercial cloud with catalogue metadata). United States Geological Survey, Reston. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  12. 10ESA (ed.), Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, about page (free access through quotas for individual use; larger use on commercial terms). European Space Agency, Paris. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  13. 15ESA (ed.), ESA Space Environment Report 2025 (web page of 1 April 2025; about 40,000 tracked objects; about 11,000 active payloads; estimated 1.2 million debris objects larger than 1 cm; data to end 2024). European Space Agency, Paris. Observation year 2024. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  14. 24Planetary Society (ed.), You just saved NASA budget (analysis of H.R. 6938; Earth Science USD 2,153.0 million against USD 1,033.2 million requested; NASA Science USD 7.25 billion; House 8 January 2026, Senate 15 January 2026; signature awaited on the page). The Planetary Society, Pasadena. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  15. 26UNVERIFIED, not opened: Planet Labs PBC (ed.), fourth quarter and fiscal year 2026 results (revenue USD 307.7 million, up 26%; 40 satellites launched in the fiscal year), taken from search-result summaries; the release page returned an access error. Planet Labs, San Francisco. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  16. 32UNVERIFIED, not opened: White House Office of Management and Budget (ed.), fiscal year 2026 budget request for NASA Earth science (cuts of more than 50%; more than 40 missions proposed for termination), taken from search-result summaries. Washington. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  17. 8European Commission (ed.), Copernicus (policy page; nearly 800 European companies active in Earth observation with EUR 1.8 billion revenue; market projected near EUR 6 billion by 2033; 96% SMEs or startups; Commission statements). Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, Brussels. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  18. 42UNVERIFIED, not opened: OECD (ed.), OECD Handbook on Measuring the Space Economy, third edition, 2022, cited from memory; the page returned an access error. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris. Observation year 2022. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  19. 23EASA (ed.), EASA and IATA publish comprehensive plan to mitigate GNSS interference (release of 18 June 2025; four workstreams; workshop of over 120 experts in May 2025; IATA reports 220% rise in GPS signal loss events from 2021 to 2024). European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Cologne. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  20. 13GCOS (ed.), Essential Climate Variables (list of 55 variables: 16 atmosphere, 20 land, 19 ocean; last updated 20 December 2024). World Meteorological Organization, Geneva. Observation year 2024. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  21. 22US Department of Commerce (ed.), Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs (licensing of private remote sensing space systems under 15 CFR Part 960 and 51 U.S.C. 60101 et seq.; tiers not described on the page). Office of Space Commerce, Washington. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  22. 25POST-CLOSE, context only: UN-GGIM (ed.), Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (sixteenth session 5 to 7 August 2026; 282 delegates from 80 Member States; Integrated Geospatial Information Framework; World Geospatial Information Congress planned 16 to 19 November 2026). United Nations, New York. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  23. 39UNVERIFIED, not opened: United Nations General Assembly resolution 41/65, Principles relating to remote sensing of the Earth from outer space, 1986, cited from memory. United Nations, New York. Observation year 1986. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  24. 40UNVERIFIED, not opened: European Commission (ed.), proposal for an EU Space Act (regulation on the safety, resilience and sustainability of space activities), June 2025, cited from memory; the proposal page returned not found. European Commission, Brussels. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  25. 41UNVERIFIED, not opened: European Parliament and Council, Regulation (EU) 2021/696 establishing the Union Space Programme, 2021, cited from memory; the legal text page returned no content. European Union, Brussels. Observation year 2021. Accessed 2026-11-03.back

Cite this chapter

Valadbaygi, S. (Ed.). (2026). Chapter 8: Systems in depth. In Exponential Technology Report 2026: Earth Observation and Geospatial Intelligence (Baseline Edition 2026, Report No. NR-XTECH-EOGEO-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE) [Draft under review]. The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI).

Every citation form of the whole report, BibTeX and RIS included, is on the edition home. Cite this report

ReportsContribute

Send evidence or a correction on Earth Observation and Geospatial Intelligence.

Reports is the Consortium’s quarterly publication, written by six desks. This page sits with the Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI) Systems Evidence desk. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work. Sent to the wrong desk, it is forwarded, not refused.

GCRI Systems Evidence deskExponential Technology

Never send personal data, sensitive infrastructure detail or anything you have no right to share. A contribution is reviewed before use; sending it confers no authorship or editorial rights, and sponsorship never buys a finding.

CC BY 4.0 Free to read. Text and figures: CC BY 4.0. Data: CC0 1.0. Authors keep copyright. Published by GCRI Canada.

The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation

Science · evidence · measurement

Not for profit

Our articles, maps and twins are free to read and free to republish. Readers and partners keep it that way.

Partner with us

Who funds us

GCRI is a not-for-profit institution. To ask who funds a piece of work, use the funding questions form.

Independence

Editors and the expert reviewers named on each article decide what we publish. Funders and partners do not review or approve articles before publication.

Corrections policy

Licence

Articles: CC BY 4.0. Figures, maps, twins and data: CC BY 4.0. Other uses: ask through the permissions form.

Privacy choices