Satellite observations are revolutionizing our ability to observe the poles and polar processes. No other technology developed since the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957--1958 provides the high-resolution, continental-scale, frequent-repeat, and all-weather observations available from spaceborne sensors. The utility of that technology is evidenced by associated scientific advances including measurements of trends in polar sea ice cover and extent, the realization that the polar ice sheets can change dramatically at timescales of decades or less, and the quantification of relationships between processes at the poles and at middle and equatorial latitudes.