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Type-A |
Type-B |
| Launches |
MetOp-SG-A1 in 2025 |
MetOp-SG-B1 in 2026 |
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MetOp-SG-A2 planned in 2032 |
MetOp-SG-B2 planned in 2033 |
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MetOp-SG-A3 planned in 2039 |
MetOp-SG-B3 planned in 2040 |
| Rocket |
Ariane-62 |
| Launch site |
Kourou, French Guiana |
| Orbit |
Sun-synchronous orbit inclined at 98.7° with a repeat cycle of 29 days at 832 km altitude and mean local solar time at the descending node of 09:30 ±10 min.The orbit is the same as the MetOp first generation satellites. |
| Revisit time |
100% global coverage every day with sub-daily coverage in the polar regions |
| Life |
7.5 years per satellite (consumables for 9.5 years), including about 6 months of commissioning |
| Satellite dimensions |
| Stowed for launch |
7.0 x 3.0 x 3.4 m |
6.6 x 3.0 x 3.4 m |
| Deployed in orbit |
7.0 x 14.0 x 4.1 m |
8.1 x 16.1 x 3.8 m |
| Instruments: |
Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer New Generation (IASI-NG) to provide profiles of temperature and humidity, and ozone and various trace gases |
Scatterometer (SCA), to provide ocean-surface wind vectors and land-surface soil moisture. |
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Microwave Sounder (MWS) to provide temperature and humidity profiles |
Radio Occultation (RO) sounder, to provide atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, as well as information about the ionosphere. |
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Meteorological Imager (METimage) to provide information on clouds, land-surface properties, sea, ice and land-surface temperatures |
Microwave Imager (MWI) to monitor precipitation as well as to provide information on sea-ice extent. |
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Radio Occultation (RO) sounder to provide atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, as well as information about the ionosphere |
Ice Cloud Imager (ICI) to measure cloud-ice water path, properties and altitude. |
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Multiviewing, Multichannel, Multipolarisation Imager (3MI) to provide information on atmospheric aerosols |
Advanced Data Collection System (ADCS) Argos-4, for the collection and transmission of observations and data from surface, buoy, ship, balloon and airborne data collection platforms. |
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Copernicus Sentinel-5, spectrometer to monitor various trace gases to support air-quality monitoring |
|
| Mass |
4030 kg (including 790 kg fuel) |
| Power consumption |
3.4kW continuous |
2.4 kW continuous |
| Data |
| Science data |
Downlinked via Ka-band to Eumetsat Svalbard station in Norway and McMurdo station in Antarctica (in cooperation with NOAA). Direct transmission also in X-band for local and regional users. |
| Tracking, telemetry and command |
Uplinked and downlinked via S-band via the Eumetsat Svalbard station |
| Project and commissioning |
Managed at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands |
| Mission operation |
Eumetsat in Germany |
| Prime contractors |
Airbus Defence and Space Toulouse in France for the satellites |
Airbus Defence and Space Friedrichshafen in Germany for the satellites |
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Beyond Gravity Gothenburg in Sweden for RO |
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Airbus Defence and Space Portsmouth in the UK for MWS |
OHB Milan in Italy for MWI |
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Leonardo Florence in Italy for 3MI |
Airbus Defence and Space Madrid in Spain for ICI |
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Airbus Defence and Space Friedrichshafen in Germany for SCA |
| For the customer furnished instruments |
Airbus Defence and Space Ottobrunn in Germany for the Sentinel-5 instrument procurement under Copernicus – the Earth observation component of the European Union’s Space programme |
Thales Alenia Space in France for the Argos-4 system procurement under CNES |
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Airbus Defence and Space Toulouse in France for IASI-NG procurement under CNES |
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Airbus Defence and Space Friedrichshafen in Germany for the METimage instrument procurement under DLR |
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| Disposal |
Controlled reentry at end of mission through dedicated propulsion |
Germany
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Spain
Estonia
Finland
France
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Norway
The Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Czechia
Romania
United Kingdom
Slovenia
Sweden
Switzerland
