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On Aug. 13, Europe’s next-gen meteorological satellites, MetOp-Second Generation (MetOp-SG) A1, successfully launched from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on board an Ariane 6 rocket.

The Airbus-built satellite, developed under the lead of the European Space Agency (ESA) for the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), has established communication and is beginning its commissioning phase. This launch marks the start of a new era that will significantly enhance weather forecasting accuracy, providing critical data for years to come.

MetOp-SG A1 is the first in a new series of six satellites that will ensure the continuity and enhancement of meteorological data from space into the mid-2040s. The program consists of two types of satellites with three satellites each — “A” and “B” — which carry complementary instrument packages. This first “A” satellite is equipped with sophisticated atmospheric sounding and imaging instruments. The MetOp-SG B satellites carry instruments for microwave imaging and radar observations. 

The satellite’s payload includes an infrared atmospheric sounding interferometer – next generation (IASI-NG), which will provide highly detailed data for weather forecasting and climate research. It also carries the METimage visible and infrared imager; a microwave sounder; a radio occultation sounder; and a multi-viewing, multi-channel, multi-polarization imager, designed to improve aerosol and cloud monitoring. Furthermore, the satellite hosts the Copernicus Sentinel-5 instrument, which will measure trace gases and pollutants to monitor atmospheric composition in high detail.

The A-series satellites are being built at Airbus in Toulouse, France, and the B-series at Airbus in Friedrichshafen, in southern Germany. The nominal operational lifetime of each MetOp-SG satellite is 7.5 years, ensuring full operational coverage over a 21-year period.