For decades now we’ve been making space missions possible: enterprises that are as spectacular as they are successful. Today Jena-Optronik is the global leader for attitude and orbit control sensors for satellites as well as optical instruments for Earth observation and the associated software. Earth observation missions provide important data and global information, e.g. in the section of environmental protection and disaster control. They are relevant for preventing and forecasting environmental catastrophes. We focus on the monitoring of wetlands and ecosystems.