A new contract

5 April 2018

"Copernicus SLSTR SST Validation using Fiducial Reference Measurements" (aka "ships4sst") has kicked off today. This is an ESA contract with the University of Southampton, RAL Space, DMI and Space ConneXions, which is designed to continue the skin SST measurements from ISAR and SISTeR that were previously funded by BEIS and its predecessor departments since 2004. The new project falls under the EU Copernicus programme and as intended to support the tying together, to a common internationally recognised reference standard, of climate quality SST measurements from AATSR and SLSTR so that the long-term SST time series started by the ATSR sensors may be continued by SLSTR. The ships4sst contract will continue until 31 March 2019, when the UK's role in the Copernicus programme following Berexit is expected to be clarified.