The EnMAP Satellite - Mission Status and Science Preparatory Activities

The Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) is a spaceborne German hyperspectral satellite mission that aims at monitoring and characterizing the Earth's environment on a global scale. EnMAP core themes are environmental changes, ecosystem responses to human activities, and management of natural resources. After several years delay, the instrument is finished and in the final stage of environmental characterization and assembly for a launch early 2022. This paper presents an update of the mission status and activities in the frame of the science preparation and mission support project led by the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) Potsdam. Further, this paper presents a specific focus on the planning for the independent EnMAP data product validation.