List of Earth observation satellites

Sensors on Earth observation satellites often take measurements of emitted energy over some portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g., UV, visible, infrared, microwave, or radio).

[1] The invention of climate research through the use of satellite remote telemetry began in the 1960s through development of space probes to study other planets.

During the U.S. economic decline in 1977, with much of NASA's money going toward the shuttle program, the Reagan Administration proposed to reduce spending on planetary exploration.

During this time, new scientific evidence emerged from ice and sediment cores that Earth's climate had experienced rapid changes in temperature, running contrary to the previously held belief that the climate changed on a geological time scale.

These changes increased political interest in gathering remote-sensing data on the Earth itself and stimulated the science of climatology.

True color image of the Earth from space. This image is a composite image collected over 16 days by the MODIS sensor on NASA’s Terra satellite.
NASA Earth science satellite fleet as of September 2020, planned through 2023.
Earth observation satellite missions developed by the ESA as of 2019.
NASA Water and Energy Cycle satellite missions as of 2006.
NASA Earth science satellites as of 2017.