The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Launched just seven months ago, ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite has been proving how the New Space approach can accelerate the development of missions capable of delivering detailed temperature and humidity profiles for short-term weather forecasts. Moreover, the impact of this small prototype satellite goes even further – remarkably, its measuring instrument has been recognised as the world’s best for generating precise humidity profiles.
The Arctic Weather Satellite also introduces significant innovation. Its microwave radiometer includes a groundbreaking 325 GHz sounding channel (shown in the left image), a frequency never before used for operational weather prediction. Assessments also confirm its potential for new cloud-ice measurements that would also bring benefits to weather forecast accuracy.
Read full story: Arctic Weather Satellite hailed as excellent