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Abstract. The Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) is a satellite mission implemented by the European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to measure global profiles of aerosols, clouds and precipitation properties together with radiative fluxes and derived heating rates. The data will be used in particular to evaluate the representation of clouds, aerosols, precipitation and associated radiative fluxes in weather forecasting and climate models. The satellite scientific payload consists of four instruments, a lidar, a radar, an imager and a broad-band radiometer. The measurements of these instruments are processed in the ground segment, which produces and distributes the science data products. The EarthCARE observational requirements are addressed. An overview is given of the space segment with a detailed description of the four science instruments. Furthermore, the elements of the Space Segment and Ground Segment that are relevant for the science data users are described.

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