Plans for Future Missions

This chapter speculates on the future, and as such, is highly uncertain given the fluid nature with which specific satellite missions are selected and deselected as budgets fluctuate and priorities are modified to suit political expediencies. To reduce some of this uncertainty, the chapter focuses instead on the evolving needs from an application as well as climate understanding perspective. While it is difficult to associate such needs or requirements with individual missions, it nonetheless point in the direction that the field must evolve towards. The other determinant for future missions that cannot be ignored are the expected technical advances to improve both instruments, satellites, and associated technology. Only then do we discuss future missions which are also divided into the immediate future, for which missions and sensors have already been defined, followed by a review of ongoing discussion to define the next generation of missions designed to address some the needs tied to improved weather and climate forecasts, as well as “process understanding” discussed in the first section.