Facts and figures

Name
Far-infrared Outgoing Radiation Understanding and Monitoring (FORUM)

Scientific objectives
FORUM will be used to evaluate the role of the far-infrared in shaping the climate and thus reduce uncertainty in predictions of future climate change 

Launch
2027

Rocket
Vega-C from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana

Orbit
Polar, Sun-synchronous, average altitude of 830 km, mean local solar time at the descending node of 09:30, 29-day repeat-cycle. FORUM orbits in loose formation with MetOp-SG(1A).

Satellite
2.3 m high, and 5 m diameter

Mass
944 kg (including 82 kg fuel)

Instrument
A Fourier transform spectrometer covering the 6.25–100 micron spectral region with a radiometric accuracy of 0.1 Kelvin, and an embedded imager with a single spectral channel sensitive to the Earth’s surface and to clouds for scene heterogeneity characterisation.

Ground-samples
15 km round pixel every 100 km for the spectrum together with the simultaneous acquisition of five consecutive images of 36 km × 36 km with 750 m horizontal resolution to provide context for the observed scene.

Life
Minimum of 5 years

Communication
Science data transmitted via X-band downlink; tracking, telemetry and command via S-band uplink

Mission control
ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt (DE)

Data processing
ESA’s Centre for Earth Observation (ESRIN), in Frascati (IT)

Project and commissioning
Managed at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands

Prime contractor
Airbus (UK), with Airbus (DE) taking the lead on the payload, and OHB (DE) and Leonardo (IT) responsible for the instruments