The European preparation activities for the EarthCARE validation in the framework of ACTRIS/ATMO-ACCESS

^(a) Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, Leipzig, 04318, Germany
^(b) IAASARS, National Observatory of Athens, Athens, Greece
^(c) Istituto di Metodologie per lʼAnalisi Ambientale, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Potenza, Italy
^(d) Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, FI-00101, Finland
^(e) European Space Agency, ESA-ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands
^(f) NILU – Norwegian Institute for Air Research, P.O. Box 100, 2027 Kjeller, Norway
^(g) National Institute of Research and Development for Optoelectronics, Magurele, Ilfov, Romania Presenting author email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published online: 9 April 2026

Abstract

ACTRIS-related preparations for the validation of EarthCARE have been organized under the EU project ATMO-ACCESS, a project working on sustainable access models for atmospheric research facilities. Specifically, a dedicated pilot access activity has been initiated for international stakeholders such as ESA and EUMETSAT, towards developing ACTRIS Cal/Val services. The preparation activities for EarthCARE are foreseen to make the participating facilities, including stationary and mobile platforms, ready to validate EarthCARE's complex, synergistic products in its short commissioning phase directly after launch and then continue the validation until the end of the mission. In this contribution, we present an overview of the pilot activity, including preparation status and first results from the planned rehearsal campaign.