The SLAINTE project is an ESA NEOMI (New Earth Observation Mission Ideas) initiative, i.e., it is a very first step towards the potential launch of a new satellite in the future. SLAINTE will provide sub-daily microwave data to monitor rapid variations in water stored within the soil–vegetation continuum that could help us address some of the uncertainties in terrestrial water and carbon cycles, and allow us to improve our understanding of land–atmosphere interactions. 

We expect SLAINTE to be valuable for carbon and evaporation research, agricultural practices (irrigation), forestry, natural hazards and weather forecasting, among other sectors. The aim of this project is to identify, formulate, and develop a new scientific idea for an Earth observation mission, e.g., a new Earth Explorer, up to and including Scientific Readiness Level (SRL) 3. Achieving SRL 3 means that the scientific, observation, and measurement requirements will be assessed.