The MetOp Second Generation A1 (MetOp-SG-A1) satellite, launched on August 13, 2025, from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, has begun transmitting crucial data from its advanced instruments. This development signifies a major advancement in Europe's capabilities for weather and climate monitoring.
Within its initial three weeks in orbit, MetOp-SG-A1's Microwave Sounder (MWS) and Radio Occultation (RO) sounder have started delivering preliminary data. This early information provides valuable insights into Earth's atmospheric conditions, contributing to more precise weather forecasts and climate analyses. For instance, the MWS captured a 24-hour sequence on August 24, illustrating distinct atmospheric features, including a swirling pattern in the North Atlantic identified as a deep convective cloud system linked to ex-hurricane Erin. This demonstrates the satellite's capacity to monitor significant weather events in near real-time.
MetOp-SG-A1 is equipped with a comprehensive suite of sophisticated instruments, including the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer - Next Generation (IASI-NG), METimage, the Microwave Sounder, the Radio Occultation Sounder, and the Multi-Viewing, Multi-Channel, Multi-Polarisation Imager. These instruments work collaboratively to enhance the monitoring of aerosols, cloud properties, and atmospheric composition. The Copernicus Sentinel-5 instrument on board is particularly noteworthy, building upon previous missions to measure atmospheric trace gases, aerosols, and UV radiation, which are vital for understanding air quality and climate change. These observations support daily global data for the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service and Climate Change Service.
The successful deployment of MetOp-SG-A1 is a testament to the collaborative efforts of European space agencies and industry partners, including the European Space Agency (ESA), EUMETSAT, and Airbus. This mission is a key component of the EUMETSAT Polar System – Second Generation (EPS-SG) programme, which aims to provide global observations of weather and climate from polar orbit, extending the legacy of MetOp observations until at least 2040. The EPS-SG programme is designed to deliver invaluable data for numerical weather prediction, nowcasting, and climate monitoring.
As MetOp-SG-A1 progresses through its commissioning phase, it is anticipated to yield a wealth of high-resolution data, substantially bolstering Europe's capabilities in weather forecasting and climate monitoring. This will offer benefits to sectors such as agriculture, energy, and disaster management. The mission's contribution is expected to be significant, with estimates suggesting a return on investment of at least 20-to-1 for Europe's economy. Furthermore, the Radio Occultation sounder is expected to triple the number of radio occultation measurements, providing over 1,600 observations daily by incorporating signals from GPS, Galileo, and BeiDou satellite navigation constellations.