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 A model of MetOp | |
| Mission type | Meteorology / Climatology |
|---|---|
| Operator | EUMETSAT |
| SATCAT no. | MetOp-A: 2006-044A; MetOp-B: 2012-049A; MetOp-C: 2018-087A |
| Website | web |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | MetOp |
| Payload mass | 812 kg |
| Dimensions | 6.2 x 3.4 x 3.4 metres (under the launcher fairing) 17.6 x 6.5 x 5.2 metres (deployed in orbit) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | MetOp-A: 19 October 2006 at 16:28:00 UTC; 'MetOp-B: 17 September 2012 at 16:28:00 UTC MetOp-C: 7 November 2018 at 00:47:27 UTC |
| Rocket | Soyuz ST Fregat |
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome (MetOp-A and MetOp-B), Guiana Space Centre (MetOp-C) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Sun-synchronous |
| Altitude | 817 km |
| Inclination | 98.7° to the equator |
| Period | 101.0 minutes |
MetOp (Meteorological Operational satellite) is a series of three polar-orbiting meteorological satellites developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and operated by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).[1] The satellites form the space segment component of the overall EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS), which in turn is the European half of the EUMETSAT / NOAA Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS). The satellites carry a payload comprising 11 scientific instruments and two which support Cospas-Sarsat Search and Rescue services. In order to provide data continuity between MetOp and NOAA Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES), several instruments are carried on both fleets of satellites.
MetOp-A, launched on 19 October 2006, was Europe's first polar orbiting satellite used for operational meteorology.[2] With respect to its primary mission of providing data for Numerical Weather Prediction, studies have shown that MetOp-A data was measured as having the largest impact of any individual satellite platform on reducing 24-hour forecasting errors, and accounted for about 25% of the total impact on global forecast error reduction across all data sources.[3] A 2023 report updated this estimate stating that the primary MetOp satellite has decreased in relative terms since 2011 from 24.5% to 11.15% in the FSOI metric.[4]
Each of the three satellites were originally intended to be operated sequentially, however good performance of the MetOp-A and MetOp-B satellites mean there was a period of all three satellite operating. EUMETSAT lowered the orbit of MetOp-A and decommissioned the spacecraft in November 2021[5]
The successor to the MetOp satellites will be MetOp-SG, currently with the first MetOp SG-A satellite expected to be launched in 2025.[6]
- ^ https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/MetOp_overview
- ^ https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/news/2021-12-airbus-built-MetOp-a-weather-satellite-retires-after-15-years-of-operations
- ^ Joo, Sangwon; Eyre, John; Marriott, Richard (October 2013). "The Impact of MetOp and Other Satellite Data within the Met Office Global NWP System Using an Adjoint-Based Sensitivity Method". Monthly Weather Review. 141 (10): 3331–3342. Bibcode:2013MWRv..141.3331J. doi:10.1175/mwr-d-12-00232.1. ISSN 0027-0644.
- ^ "The social and economic benefits of EPS-Aeolus and EPS-Sterna" (PDF). Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ "Plans for MetOp-A end of life | EUMETSAT". 13 December 2018. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "EUMETSAT Polar System - Second Generation". EUMETSAT. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
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