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MetOp Second Generation\u2019s scatterometer antenna deployment test at Airbus\u2019 facilities in Madrid, Spain. The instrument underwent a testing campaign that lasted four months during which it was subjected to the extreme conditions that it will encounter during launch and in orbit. These tests included: antenna deployment, thermal cycling, mechanical vibrations and acoustic environment. The scatterometer with its major antenna subsystem is one of five instruments that the new generation of MetOp-SG-B satellites will carry. It will be used to monitor ocean winds and continental ice sheets, and to check land-surface soil moisture \u2013 a key driver of water and heat fluxes between the ground and the atmosphere. It is expected to cover 99% of Earth’s surface within a two-day period and with a resolution of 25 km.<\/p>\n
This next generation, following on from the\u00a0first MetOp series<\/a>, will secure the continuation of meteorological observations from the polar orbit in the 2023\u201343 timeframe. It will bring observations to a new standard, through the suite of innovative European instruments flown on the MetOp-SG satellites. The MetOp-SG-A and MetOp-SG-B satellites will operate in three successive pairs.<\/p>\n