European Weather Satellite Launches to Enhance Global Storm Forecasting
Advanced Polar-Orbiting Spacecraft Will Provide Earlier Warnings for Extreme Weather Events
Europe's most advanced weather satellite successfully launched from French Guiana on Tuesday, marking a major milestone in global meteorological observation capabilities. EUMETSAT's Metop Second Generation A1 (Metop-SGA1) lifted off at 8:37 p.m. EDT aboard an Ariane-62 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou.
"The launch of Metop-SGA1 is a major step forward in giving national weather services in our member states sharper tools to save lives, protect property, and build resilience against the climate crisis."
Phil Evans, Director-General, EUMETSAT
The satellite will orbit approximately 497 miles above Earth's surface, carrying six advanced instruments designed to improve weather predictions from 12 hours to 10 days ahead. As the first satellite in EUMETSAT's Polar System Second Generation program, Metop-SGA1 represents a significant upgrade to Europe's meteorological capabilities.
The spacecraft also carries the European Union's Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission, which will monitor air quality and atmospheric composition. This dual mission approach optimizes costs while reducing environmental impact by minimizing required launches.
"Extreme weather has cost Europe hundreds of billions of euros and tens of thousands of lives over the past 40 years – storms like Boris, Daniel and Hans, record heatwaves and fierce wildfires are just the latest reminders," said Phil Evans, Director-General, EUMETSAT. "The launch of Metop-SGA1 is a major step forward in giving national weather services in our member states sharper tools to save lives, protect property, and build resilience against the climate crisis."
The polar-orbiting satellite will travel from north to south as Earth rotates beneath it, providing global coverage and diverse observations. Unlike geostationary satellites fixed above the equator, Metop-SGA1's orbit allows it to capture data from all regions of the planet.
More than 95% of data used in numerical weather prediction comes from satellites, and this share is expected to grow as second-generation satellites enter service. Over the next two decades, three consecutive pairs of Metop-SG satellites will loop the planet 14 times daily.
The spacecraft's six instruments include the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer – New Generation (IASI-NG), METimage visual and infrared imager, Microwave Sounder (MWS), Radio Occultation sounder, and the Multi-Viewing, Multi-Channel, Multi-Polarization Imager (3MI). The 3MI is an entirely new instrument designed to enhance monitoring of aerosols and cloud properties.
The mission is expected to deliver economic returns of at least 20 to 1 for European economies. The enhanced forecasting capabilities will help farmers protect crops, grid operators manage energy supply, and transportation operators navigate safely.
"The successful launch of Copernicus Sentinel-5 is a testimony to our close cooperation with EUMETSAT and is an outstanding achievement that will strengthen Europe's capacity to monitor pollution and advance climate science," said Christoph Kautz, director for Space Policy, Earth Observation and Satellite Navigation at the European Commission.
"Metop-SGA1 and Copernicus Sentinel-5 show the power of European collaboration in building long-term missions that help us take the pulse of our planet," said Simonetta Cheli, director of Earth Observation Programs at ESA.
The launch represents years of collaboration between EUMETSAT, the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Union, the French Space Agency (CNES), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Airbus, Thales Alenia Space, and other partners.