European activities in remote sensing from space are increasing rapidly, and clear ideas are emerging on the candidate European satellites that will provide important contributions to the global Earth observation programmes of the mid-1980s. The paper summarizes ESA' s ongoing activities in this new space application area, in particular the use of Earthnet to acquire and to experiment with data from already orbiting satellites, and the development of instruments to be flown on the European manned orbital laboratory— Spacelab. Information is provided on the preliminary conclusions from recently completed feasibility studies that aim at the definition of automatic satellites and sensors for monitoring both the land and ocean surfaces. Finally, the importance of developing applications is emphasized, underlining that only by the careful and systematic preparation of applications can the maximum benefits be realized from the satellite systems.