Cash row threatens Earth-monitoring system

摘要

An ambitious European proposal to launch an orbiting Earth-monitoring system called Kopernikus is facing possible delays to the launches of its component satellites after Italy and France demanded that costs be cut. A flurry of negotiations is under way to try to hammer out a compromise before a crucial meeting of the European Space Agency (ESA) from 25 to 26 November, at which the future of the project will be decided. Kopernikus, formerly called the Global Monitoring for the Environment and Security (GMES) programme, is a joint venture of ESA and the European Commission. So far, it has secured €1.97 billion (US$2.6 billion) in funding to carry it through to 2013 (see Nature 450, 778-779; 2008), which should cover the launching of the first members of the three Sentinel families of Kopernikus satellites (see 'Meet the sentinels').