Can we achieve GRACE data continuity? France’s contribution.

S. Hosford (1), R. Biancale(1), G. Balmino(1), S. Bruinsma(1), A. Laurens(1), M. Diament (2), I. Panet(2)
(1) CNES, 18 avenue Edouard Belin, 31401 Toulouse, France (e-mail: steven.hosford@cnes.fr,
(2) Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Géophysique spatiale et planétaire - Bâtiment Lamarck, Case 7011, 5 rue Thomas Mann, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, FRANCE

As a contributor to geophysics missions over the past 15 years, the French space agency (CNES) has a long established procedure for deciding missions in response to the needs of the national scientific community defined during regular "Future Missions Workshops." Following a short description and history of this process, the priority missions resulting from the latest such workshop which took place in Biarritz in March 2009 will be briefly described. In the context of the French national space budget where bilateral missions are now the norm, we will discuss the potential for international collaboration on a future gravity mission and the steps being taken in France and by CNES to facilitate this.