Tenders Are Invited For Cimr Companion (Or Cimr-C) Mission Definition Science Study

Tenders are invited for CIMR COMPANION (OR CIMR-C) MISSION DEFINITION SCIENCE STUDY - EXPRO PLUS Tender Action Number: 1-13329 Activity Number: 1000045728 Clarification Request Deadline 13/05/2026 13:00 CET Closing Date Extension Request Deadline 13/05/2026 13:00 CET Announcement Date 05/03/2026 Last Update On 21/04/2026 17:31 CET Update Reason Tender Action Issued Science Study (pre-Phase 0) to explore potential mission concept for a companion satellite to CIMR the context of the exploration step for a potential Mission of Opportunity. A Mission of Opportunity (MoO) is defined as an Earth Observation Research Mission in cooperation with a Space Agency outside ESA Member/Cooperating/Associated States.The Turbulent fluxes between the ocean and atmosphere are fundamental to understanding and quantifying the exchange of heat, moisture, momentum and gas between the ocean and the atmosphere. They directly impact atmospheric and oceanic variability, thereby modifying weather and climate, including precipitation patterns, terrestrial water availability, floods and droughts, and extreme events such as terrestrial and marine heatwaves.A key challenge to address is the fact that satellite-derived estimates of ocean-atmosphere fluxes are derived from multi-mission satellite data that are not co-located or contemporaneous in space and time leading to large sampling errors and uncertainties. Today, there is no satellite system designed to measure ocean fluxes from space.The Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) is planned for launch in 2029 and will provide measurements of sea ice parameters sea surface temperature, ocean vector winds and salinity, basedon 1.4, 6.9, 10.65, 18.9 and 36.5GHz channels over a 1900 km swath. Since this mission uses a mesh reflector, it cannot include frequencies above Ka-band effectively ruling out lower troposphere air temperature and humidity sounding channels that are required tocompute collocated and contemporaneous ocean and atmosphere flux estimates.The CIMR companion mission concept definition science study will investigate and analyse different scientific solutions for a small-medium class CIMR-Companion mission that would providehigher frequency (e.g. 50-184GHz) channel capability. Together with the CIMR mission, these data would be used to retrieve lower troposphere air temperature and humidity profiles and supporting measurements to study:How do spatial variations in fluxes modify heat, gas (CO2), moisture and momentum transfer between ocean and atmosphereHow do they influence upper ocean and lower atmosphere characteristics?How do variations in fluxes impact evolution of storms, from polar lows to tropical cyclones, and upper ocean mesoscale structure evolution?How will our Earth system respond to changes in air-sea interaction in terms of global ocean turbulent heat and moisture flux contributions to the water cycle?This study will run in parallel and interact with the CIMR Companion Mission Concept Study, subject of a parallel ITT.The study will focus on sharpening the mission concept objectives and assess a first set of mission concept requirements. It will substantiate the scientific background and further consolidate the products requirements. Finally, the results of this study, along with those from the parallel system study, will be compiled into a comprehensive dossier that can be used to assess mission feasibility and potential implementation. Read less Directorate Directorate of EO Programmes Estabilishment ESTEC Open Date 21/04/2026 17:30 CET Closing Date 20/05/2026 13:00 CET ECOS Required No Classified No Price Range 200-500 KEURO Authorised Contact Person Sandy Courtois Initiating Service EOP-FM IP Measure N/A Prog. Reference E/A001-01 - FEO1S3 Pillar1 EOP-F Tender Type Open Competition Open To Tenderers From AT+BE+CA+CH+CZ+DE+DK+EE+GR+ES+FI+FR+GB+HU+IE+IT+LT+LU+LV+NL+NO+PL+PT+SE+SI+SK Technology Keywords 26-OTHERS Products Keywords Tender Link : https://esastar-publication-ext.sso.esa.int/ESATenderActions/filter/open