Status of the ESA earth explorer missions and the new ESA earth observation science strategy

The status of the European Space Agency Earth Explorer missions is presented. These science-driven missions have unique objectives and as of today, four out of the seven Earth Explorers missions have been launched, namely GOCE, SMOS, CryoSat, and Swarm. Three other Explorer missions: ADM-Aeolus, EarthCARE, and Biomass are in varying stages of development and are planned to be launched in the coming years. Furthermore, two candidate missions (FLEX and CarbonSat) are currently undergoing feasibility study prior to the competitive selection of the 8^th Explorer mission late in 2015. Moreover, driving the selection of the next Earth Explorers, the new Earth Observation Science Strategy for ESA: A New Era for Scientific Advances and Societal Benefits, provides key elements and scientific direction for the future progress of ESA´s Living Planet Programme is also described.