The European Space Agency has formally approved two new Scout Earth observation missions, Hibidis and SOVA-S, following a competitive evaluation phase lasting about ten months. The decision was taken by the Earth Observation Programme Board on 27 May 2026, adding two small, low-cost satellites to ESA’s Scout line.
The Scout program targets rapid-development missions with individual development costs of under roughly €35 million and schedules of less than three years from approval to launch. The initiative aims to demonstrate that advanced Earth science can be conducted with compact platforms and streamlined architectures, alongside flagship missions and Copernicus satellites.
Hibidis (Hyperspectral Biodiversity Scout) is designed to monitor forest biodiversity beneath tree canopies using hyperspectral, multi-angle imaging. The mission aims to separate canopy and understorey signals to derive key biodiversity variables and improve understanding of forest ecosystem functioning, with implications for conservation policy and forest management.
SOVA-S (Satellite Observation of Waves in the Atmosphere – Scout) will provide near-global, near-daily observations of atmospheric gravity waves between about 80 and 120 kilometers altitude using a shortwave infrared imager. These measurements are intended to improve knowledge of upper-atmosphere dynamics and the representation of gravity waves in weather and climate models.
Hibidis and SOVA-S join existing Scout missions HydroGNSS, launched in November 2025, as well as NanoMagSat and Tango, which are in development.