MetOp-SG weather and climate satellite shipped to Kourou

MetOp-SG A1 weather and climate satellite has left the cleanroom for the launch pad. Photo: Airbus

The first of the Airbus-built MetOp-SG weather and climate monitoring satellites left the company’s Toulouse cleanrooms a few days ago and is now en-route for Kourou, French Guiana onboard the ‘Canopée’ transport ship. The MetOp Second Generation-A1 satellite, built for EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), is expected to launch in August 2025 on board an Ariane 6 rocket.

The MetOp-SG programme consists of six satellites — three successive pairs made up of an A-type and a B-type satellite, which carry a host of different but complementary instruments. MetOp-SG A satellites have instruments for atmospheric sounding and imaging, and MetOp-SG B include instruments for microwave imaging and radar observations. They will ensure the continuity of critical MetOp series data into the mid-2040s.

Marc Steckling, head of Earth Observation, Science and Space Exploration at Airbus Defence and Space, said: “The MetOp Second Generation satellites will further enhance Europe’s leading position in meteorological analysis from space, and help deliver even more accurate weather forecasting to benefit everyone on Earth. Having designed and manufactured all three of the first generation MetOp satellites we are truly looking forward to the successful launch of the first in this vital series that will watch over our planet.”

Pollution monitoring and climate research
The MetOp-SG A1 payload includes the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer - Next Generation (IASI-NG) which will provide vital data for weather forecasting, pollution monitoring and climate research, and was developed in partnership between Airbus and the French space agency CNES. It also carries METimage (a visible and infrared imager) developed in partnership with the German Space Agency (DLR), the Microwave Sounder (built by Airbus in Portsmouth), the Radio Occultation Sounder, and the Multi-Viewing, Multi-Channel, Multi-Polarisation Imager – an entirely new instrument designed to enhance the monitoring of aerosols and cloud properties.

The satellite also carries the Airbus-built Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission – the Ultraviolet, Visible, Near-Infrared and Short-Wave Infrared Sounder – which will deliver detailed measurements of atmospheric composition and trace gases. MetOp Second Generation satellites have been 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, while the B series are under construction at Airbus’s German facility in Friedrichshafen. The nominal operational lifetime of each MetOp-SG satellite is 7.5 years, ensuring full operational coverage over a 21-year period.

Ariane 6 is a programme developed within the framework of ESA. As prime contractor and design authority for the launcher, ArianeGroup is responsible for development and production alongside its industrial partners. Arianespace, the launch service provider, will oversee launch operations from the Guiana Space Centre, including the integration and deployment of the MetOp-SG A1 satellite into orbit.