Arriving by hybrid sailship Canopée, Europe will soon be taking another leap forward in its weather forecasting capacity as the first MetOp Second Generation, MetOp-SG-A1, satellite is now at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, marking a pivotal moment on the road to launch. This new polar-orbiting weather satellite also carries the Copernicus Sentinel-5 instrument to deliver daily global data on air pollutants and other atmospheric trace gases.
The two payloads will head to space on Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket, flight VA264. The rocket and payloads were manufactured in mainland Europe and transported by the novel ship Canopée (canopy in French). The ship is the first custom-built transporter to use sails, reducing emissions and saving on fuel by up to 30%.