Arctic Weather Satellite close up

As its name suggests, the Arctic Weather Satellite mission is expected to improve weather forecasts in the Arctic – a region that currently lacks data for accurate short-term forecasts. Embracing the concept of New Space, the satellite was developed and built on a very tight schedule of just 36 months and on a tight budget. It is the forerunner of a potential constellation of satellites, called EPS-Sterna, that ESA would build for Eumetsat if the prototype Arctic Weather Satellite works well.

The Arctic Weather Satellite is equipped with a 19-channel cross-track scanning microwave radiometer, which benefits from the heritage technology of the Microwave Sounder developed for the MetOp Second Generation satellites. The instrument provides high-resolution humidity and temperature soundings of the atmosphere in all weather conditions.