The Copernicus Carbon Dioxide Monitoring (CO2M) mission, part of the Copernicus Sentinel Expansion missions, consists of 2 identical satellites. The two CO2M satellites will each carry a near-infrared and shortwave-infrared spectrometer to measure atmospheric carbon dioxide at high spatial resolution. These measurements will be used by the new CO2M Monitoring and Verification Support Capacity, which the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is developing, and which will eventually reduce uncertainties in estimates of emissions of carbon dioxide from the combustion of fossil fuel at local, national and regional scales.

The mission will provide the EU with a unique and independent source of information to assess the effectiveness of policy measures towards de-carbonising Europe and meeting the emission reduction targets laid out in the Paris Agreement.