16/08/2024
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ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite and Φsat-2 missions are ready for lift-off from Vandenburg, California, with a target launch date of 16 August 2024.
About Arctic Weather Satellite
ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite is a prototype mission that aims to improve weather forecasts in the Arctic – a region that currently lacks data for accurate short-term forecasts.
The satellite will build on existing Arctic monitoring satellites and will provide precise, short-term weather forecasts for the Arctic region.
It is equipped with a 19-channel cross-track scanning microwave radiometer which will provide high-resolution humidity and temperature soundings of the atmosphere in all weather conditions.
The Arctic Weather Satellite is the forerunner of a potential constellation of satellites, called EPS-Sterna, that ESA would build for Eumetsat if the first prototype Arctic Weather Satellite performs well.
The constellation would supply an almost constant stream of temperature and humidity data from every location on Earth. This would, for the first time, allow for very short-range weather forecasting, or ‘nowcasting’, in the Arctic.
Embracing the concept of New Space, the Arctic Weather Satellite was developed and built on a very tight schedule. It took just 36 months from ESA awarding the industrial prime contract to OHB in Sweden to the satellite being completed.
About Φsat-2
Φsat-2, pronounced phisat-2, is a cubesat that will further demonstrate the benefits of using AI for innovative Earth observation.
Measuring only 22 x 10 x 33 cm, this miniature satellite is equipped with a state-of-the-art multispectral camera and a powerful AI computer that analyses and processes imagery while in orbit. It carries six AI applications onboard:
- Street map generation: convert satellite images into street maps to identify roads during emergency situations.
- Cloud detection: analyse and reduce the volume of data to be processed by eliminating cloudy images.
- Maritime vessel detection: using machine learning to automatically detect and classify maritime vessels.
- On-board image compression and reconstruction: exploit AI to compress images on board and then reconstruct them after they are downlinked to the ground.
- Marine anomaly detection: identify oil spills, harmful algae blumes and heavy sediment discharges in real-time.
- Wildfire detection: critical real-time information for firefighters to help them locate fire sources, track fire spread, and identify any hazards.
Follow the launch live on 16 August
The 53-minute window opens at 20:20 CEST (11:20 local time) on 16 August 2024. A live webcast of this mission will begin about 10 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch on SpaceX.