Ready for launch: The first of the MetOp-SG weather and climate satellites built by Airbus has left the white rooms of Toulouse a few days ago and is now enroute to Kourou, in French Guiana, aboard the transport ship ‘Canopée’.
The second generation MetOp satellite A1, built for EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), is expected to be launched in August 2025 aboard an Ariane 6 rocket.
The MetOp-SG Program
The MetOp-SG program consists of six satellites: three successive pairs composed of a type A and a type B satellite, each carrying a variety of different but complementary instruments.
The MetOp-SG A satellites have instruments for atmospheric sounding and imaging, while the MetOp-SG B satellites include instruments for microwave imaging and radar observations. They will ensure the continuity of the critical data series of MetOp until the mid-2040s.
The second-generation MetOp satellites will further strengthen Europe’s leading position in meteorological analysis from space and help provide even more accurate weather forecasts for everyone on Earth. After having designed and produced all three first-generation MetOp satellites, we look forward to successfully launching the first of this vital series that will monitor our planet,
quoted by Marc Steckling, Head of Earth Observation, Science and Space Exploration at Airbus Defence and Space.
Features of the MetOp-SG A1
The MetOp-SG A1 payload includes the Next Generation Atmospheric Probe Interferometer (IASI-NG), which will provide vital data for weather forecasting, pollution monitoring and climate research and has been developed in collaboration between Airbus and the French space agency CNES.
The satellite is also equipped with METimage (a sensor for visible and infrared imaging) developed in collaboration with the German Space Agency (DLR), the Microwave Sounder (built by Airbus in Portsmouth, UK), the Radio Occultation Sounder and the Multi-Viewing, Multi-Channel, Multi-Polarisation Imager, a completely new tool designed to improve aerosol and cloud property monitoring.
The satellite also carries the Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission, built by Airbus, which will provide detailed measurements of atmospheric composition and trace gases.
The second generation MetOp satellites were developed through partnerships between EUMETSAT and the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Union’s Copernicus programme, the French Space Agency (CNES), the German Space Agency (DLR) and an industrial consortium led by Airbus Defence and Space.
The A series satellites are being constructed at Airbus in Toulouse, France, while the B series satellites are being constructed at Airbus in Friedrichshafen, southern Germany. The nominal operating life of each MetOp-SG satellite is 7.5 years, ensuring full operational coverage for a period of 21 years.
Ariane 6 is a program developed within the European Space Agency (ESA). As the main contractor and design authority for the launcher, ArianeGroup is responsible for development and production along with its industrial partners.
Arianespace, the launch services provider, will oversee launch operations from the Guiana Space Center, including integration and deployment in orbit of the MetOp-SG A1 satellite.
Source and photo credit @Airbus Defence and Space
