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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MetOp-A was launched in 2006 and MetOp-B in 2012, and now it is time for MetOp-C. This latest polar-orbiting weather satellite will soon liftoff from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Launching sequentially ensures continuous observations of a host of atmospheric variables such as temperature, humidity, trace gases, ozone and wind speed over the ocean. These data are used largely for numerical weather prediction –the basis for weather forecasting. While it was envisaged that each successive satellite would take over from its predecessor, thanks to the extraordinary quality of these satellites, both MetOp-A and MetOp-B are still going strong. With MetOp-C, the mission continues as a three-satellite constellation, increasing the wealth of data for weather forecasting. The MetOp programme is thanks to a collaborative undertaking between ESA and Eumetsat. The programme is also Europe’s contribution to a cooperative venture with the US NOAA agency.