08/04/2025
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The first of the new generation of MetOp satellites, MetOp-SG Satellite-A, together with the instrument for the Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission, are now ready to be shipped to their launch site. But before the last leg of their terrestrial journey, they were on display to the media at Airbus’s facilities in Toulouse, France.
The MetOp-Second Generation (MetOp-SG) mission is poised to revolutionise weather forecasting and will ensure the continued delivery of vital global observations. It will provide data for unprecedented weather forecasting accuracy and climate monitoring.
The Copernicus Sentinel-5 spectrometer is an advanced instrument designed to deliver critical data on air pollutants, ozone, and climate-related gases to support air-quality monitoring. The instrument will be carried on board MetOp-SG’s A-type satellites.
According to Simonetta Cheli, Director of ESA’s Earth Observation Programmes, the launch of the first in the series of second generation MetOp satellites, together with Sentinel-5, signals ESA’s commitment to long-term missions to monitor weather and climate. She says, “We are thrilled to see this MetOp-SG-A mission in its final stages before launch. It will guarantee data continuity for studying and forecasting our climate and weather over the next two decades. Sentinel-5 will also enable us to use satellite data to improve air quality – a vital benefit for citizens around the world who suffer health problems due to poor air quality.”
The satellite will be shipped beginning of June to Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, and will be launched in August on the next Ariane 6 rocket.
State-of-the-art instruments for climate, weather and air quality
The MetOp-SG mission is made up of six satellites that will operate two at a time. Each of the three pairs consists of an A-type and B-type satellite, which carry complementary state-of-the art instruments. The mission will provide high-resolution measurements of temperature, precipitation, clouds and winds, delivering data for weather forecasting and climate prediction for the next 20 years.
They are the first ESA-developed satellites to carry a system for active disposal at their mission’s end. Each MetOp-SG satellite is fitted with an extra thruster, enabling it to self-destruct in Earth’s atmosphere when the mission is complete.
Marc Loiselet, ESA’s Project Manager for the MetOp-SG satellites, says, “As we see extreme weather events become more frequent, it’s more important than ever that we have accurate and reliable satellite data on which policymakers can base decisions. With MetOp-SG, we will have enhanced weather forecasting, prediction models and climate analysis, which is a significant upgrade on the first generation of MetOp satellites.”
The Copernicus Sentinel-5 mission 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.
Didier Martin, ESA’s Sentinel-5 Project Manager, noted, “We really have a cutting-edge instrument. It builds on the success of the Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor mission and can differentiate between 1000 more colours than the human eye, so it will be able to detect a range of trace gases and will make a significant difference to air quality monitoring and climate modelling.”