Less than three weeks since the first MetOp Second Generation weather satellite, MetOp-SG-A1, was launched, this remarkable new satellite has already started transmitting data from two of its cutting-edge instruments, offering a tantalising glimpse of what’s to come.
Despite this new satellite only being in orbit for three weeks and the commissioning is at a very early stage, its Microwave Sounder (MWS) and Radio Occultation (RO) sounder are already returning early ‘first glimpse’ data, marking a significant milestone in a new era of European weather and climate monitoring.
This striking image is a striking 24-hour capture from 24 August from the MWS Channel 17. Besides Earth’s surface properties, this channel is also sensitive to convective clouds, shown as various filaments and banding structures over the oceans. For instance, the red swirl visible in the North Atlantic reflects the deep convective cloud system of ex-hurricane Erin.
Read full story: New MetOp Second Generation weather satellite returns first data