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=== Contributing missions ===
Before the Sentinel missions provide data to Copernicus, numerous existing or planned space missions provide or will provide data useful to the provision of Copernicus services. These missions are often referred to as "''
* '''[[European Remote-Sensing Satellite|ERS]]''': the European Remote Sensing Satellite ERS-1 (1991–2000) was ESA's first Earth observation satellite. ERS-2 (1995–2011) provided data related to ocean surface temperature, winds at sea and atmospheric ozone.
* '''[[Envisat]]''' (2002-2012): launched in 2002, ESA's Envisat was the largest civilian Earth Observation spacecraft ever built. It carried sophisticated optical and radar instruments among which the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) and the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS). Envisat provided continuous observation and monitoring of the Earth's land, atmosphere, oceans and ice caps. After losing contact with the satellite on 8 April 2012, ESA formally announced the end of Envisat's mission on 9 May 2012.<ref name="missionend">{{cite web|url=http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM1SXSWT1H_index_0.html|title=ESA declares end of mission for Envisat|publisher=ESA|date=9 May 2012}}</ref>
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