Confirmation that it was alive and generating power came at 4:47am CEST, after its solar array deployed. Developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and operated by Eumetsat, the satellite carries six advanced instruments, including the Copernicus Sentinel-5 spectrometer to monitor air pollution and atmospheric gases. Circling the planet every 100 minutes, it will feed critical data into global weather forecasts, climate analysis and environmental monitoring.
“With increasingly erratic weather patterns, timely and precise forecasting has never been more crucial,” ESA Earth Observation Programs director Simonetta Cheli said. “The MetOp-SG mission will play a critical role in improving forecasts and climate monitoring.”
Eumetsat director-general Phil Evans said the mission was “a major step forward in giving national weather services sharper tools to save lives, protect property and build resilience against the climate crisis”, adding it will also strengthen trans-Atlantic cooperation through Europe’s Joint Polar System with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The MetOp-SG program will see three A- and B-type satellite pairs launched over the next two decades, each carrying complementary instruments. The A-type focuses on atmospheric sounding and imaging, while the B-type will carry sensors to monitor ocean winds, clouds, ice and more.
Each satellite is also equipped with a disposal system to ensure it burns up in the atmosphere at the end of its mission.
Copernicus Sentinel-5 is the result of close cooperation between ESA, the European Commission and Eumetsat. It was developed under the responsibility of ESA, by a consortium led by Airbus Defence and Space in Ottobrunn, Germany.