When NASA’s acting administrator announced in August that the agency would scale back its commitment to Earth sciences in favour of space exploration, it sent shockwaves through the global EO community. Sean Duffy argued that NASA should “focus on exploration, not on Earth sciences,” signalling a dramatic political shift in Washington. Even if this decision turns out to be temporary, the message is clear: international partners can no longer take NASA’s leadership in Earth science for granted.
For Europe, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. With more than €2.3 billion dedicated to Earth observation — around 30% of ESA’s total budget — Europe has already emerged as the world’s most consistent institutional investor in EO. The Copernicus programme is the backbone of this effort, delivering over 25 terabytes of open data every single day. National initiatives such as Italy’s ambitiousIRIDE constellation, Spain and Portugal’s Constelación Atlántica, and Greece’s National Microsatellite Programme reinforce this leadership.
Satellites Alone Are Not Enough
But satellites are only half the story. To transform petabytes of imagery into actionable knowledge, Europe must also invest in the often-overlooked ground segment: the infrastructures, standards, and services that receive, process, store, and distribute EO data.
ESA’s Director of Earth Observation, Simonetta Cheli, emphasised the stakes:
“The current geopolitical context and discussion on budgets in the US underline how critical ESA and all European Earth Observation initiatives are – from technology developments to satellite missions to data processing and archiving.”
Domino-E: Innovating Europe’s EO Ground Segment
This is precisely where Domino-E comes in. Domino-E is pioneering the federation of European ground segments, making it easier for users across science, policy, and industry to access and exploit EO data. By interlinking existing infrastructures, harmonising interfaces, and developing innovative services such as:
- Coverage Services that ensure seamless, cross-mission data access;
- Shared Cloud Resource Management that allows flexible and cost-efficient use of processing power;
- Value-Added Services that bring EO insights directly into decision-making contexts.
The NASA decision underscores why these innovations matter. If the U.S. steps back from providing global public EO goods, Europe’s responsibility — and opportunity — is to guarantee reliable, sovereign, and open access to climate and security data. That requires not just satellites in orbit, but also federated ground infrastructures that scale with demand, remain interoperable, and open the door for commercial and public actors alike.
At a time when the effects of climate change are becoming more urgent and data-driven decision making more critical, Domino-E and its partners show how Europe can turn institutional strength into innovation — and ensure that the world continues to benefit from trusted Earth Observation.