ESA's orbiting hurricane hunter back in action   Hurricane viewed from space   Like its predecessor ERS-1 (launched in July 1991 by Ariane 4 and successfully put into orbit at an altitude of some 780 km), the ERS-2 satellite launched on 21.04.95 by Ariane 4, monitors the ground day and night under all weather conditions thanks to its powerful sharp-eyed, cloud-piercing radars. ERS-2 also carries an instrument to help monitor the ozone layer.   In offline test runs ERS-2 scatterometer results showed the ability to correct for the position of tropical cyclones. The ECMWF analysis at 12 UTC 5 October 2003 for Hurricane Kate: inthe left panel ERS-2 data was not used, in the right panel ERS-2 data was used. Shown are isobars (in black), wind streamlines (beige) and assimilated CMOD5 winds (blue barbs). The observed hurricane center is indicated by the red cross wire. Hurricane Kate arose in the tropical Atlantic in late September 2003 and was a Category Three storm.   A map of the wind field at the heart of Hurricane Isabel, using data acquired at 15.23 UTC on 17 September 2003 by the C-band scatterometer on board ESA's ERS-2 spacecraft. The map indicates wind direction and also wind velocity - the more lines on each bar, the highest the velocity. The data provides insight into the pressure system powering the hurricane.   This reduced resolution (1200 metre) image shows Hurricane Isabel off the US East Coast, acquired by MERIS on board ESA’s Envisat spacecraft at 14.58 UTC on 17 September 2003. Envisat is ESA’s latest Earth Observation satellite, launched February 2002. Its orbit is a half hour ahead but otherwise identical to that of ERS-2, whose scatterometer also acquired useful meteorological measurements of the hurricane’s heart.   MetOp is a series of three meteorological operational polar orbiting satellites, the first of which, MetOp-1 is the prototype. The instruments on MetOp will produce high-resolution images, vertical temperature and humidity profiles, and temperatures of the land and ocean surface on a global basis. Also on board the satellites will be instruments for monitoring ozone and wind flow over the oceans. Those instruments will be of significant value to meteorologists and other scientists, particularly those studying the global climate. MetOp-A was launched on 19 October 2006 and is part of an international joint system in cooperation with the USA. Release date: 28 June 2004