Embracing the New Space approach, it has taken just 36 months to develop and build ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite. This remarkable microsatellite is expected to improve weather forecasts in the Arctic – a region that currently lacks data for accurate short-term forecasts.

This prototype is the forerunner of a potential constellation of satellites that would supply an almost constant stream of temperature and humidity data from every location on Earth – allowing, for the first time, for very short-range weather forecasting, or ‘nowcasting’, in the Arctic. Meteorologists will also use the mission to improve weather forecasts around the world.