Advanced Weather Prediction Satellite Launched in Europe
New European Weather Satellite, Metop-SGA1, Successfully Launched
A new era in weather forecasting and environmental monitoring has begun with the successful launch of Metop-SGA1, a polar-orbiting weather satellite operated by Eumetsat. The satellite lifted off last night aboard an Ariane-6 rocket from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Metop-SGA1 is designed to improve both very short-term weather forecasting and forecasting for up to 12 days. Its polar orbit allows it to see the crucial polar regions, which are difficult for geostationary satellites to access. This comprehensive global coverage will provide not only more data but also more frequent data, essential for broad weather and climate applications worldwide.
In contrast, another European weather satellite, MTG-S1, is geostationary, remaining stationary above the same point on the equator from Earth's perspective, at an altitude of about 36,000 kilometers. MTG-S1 is focused on continuous regional monitoring, especially for short-term weather events and air pollution over Europe and nearby regions.
Key features and advantages that differentiate Metop-SGA1 from geostationary satellites like MTG-S1 include:
| Feature/Advantage | Metop-SGA1 (Polar Orbit) | MTG-S1 (Geostationary Orbit) | |---------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | Orbit type | Sun-synchronous polar orbit at ~800 km altitude | Geostationary orbit at ~36,000 km altitude | | Coverage | Global coverage, observing the entire Earth daily | Fixed coverage over Europe and North Africa | | Instruments | Six atmospheric sounding and imaging instruments providing optical, infrared, and microwave observations for a wide range of parameters: temperature, precipitation, clouds, winds, sea ice, aerosols, pollution, soil moisture, volcanic dust, etc. | Focused on hyperspectral infrared sounder for continuous atmospheric monitoring and rapid short-term weather (nowcasting), severe storms, and air pollution over Europe | | Temporal resolution | Revisits global areas typically twice daily, good for global climate and weather models | Continuous, real-time monitoring over a fixed region, ideal for rapid event detection and tracking | | Application focus | Long-term weather forecasting, climate monitoring, environmental monitoring, pollution tracking globally | Short-term severe weather forecasting, regional air quality, and nowcasting in Europe | | Data type diversity | Multispectral—optical, infrared, microwave for diverse environmental parameters | Primarily infrared hyperspectral sounding for atmospheric profiling and rapid event detection |
Metop-SGA1 carries six instruments, including METImage, manufactured at Airbus Defence and Space in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance, and Sentinel-5, responsible for detailed atmospheric composition measurements and coming from the Airbus plant in Ottobrunn near Munich. With METImage, significantly higher resolution promises much more precise information in observing clouds, water vapor, and ice layers.
However, Metop-SGA1 will take some time before it begins delivering data. Around a year is planned for adjusting the spacecraft's attitude, calibrating the instruments, and making the satellite operational. Once operational, this masterpiece of European technology will provide crucial data for weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and environmental monitoring worldwide.
