As part of the Living Planet Programme the European Space Agency (ESA) initiated CryoSat. CryoSat is a three year radar altimetry mission, scheduled for launch late 2004, to determine variations in the thickness of the earth's continental ice sheets and marine ice cover. Its primary objective is to test the prediction of thinning arctic ice due to global warming.

CryoSat will contribute to scientific studies of the polar climate and climate change with an unprecedented level of detail. To ensure that the data is accurate enough to be used in global climate research, it is essential to correct for a degree of error due to a variety of technical and physical effects.

This means that data received from the altimeter aboard CryoSat must be calibrated and verified with data taken in the field. In addition to several ESA field campaigns, the expedition will provide auxiliary data for which it is officially recognized as a contributor to CryoSat's validation program.

 Cryosat website