MetOp mission highlighted at workshop


MetOp in orbit
 
MetOp is a series of three new polar-orbiting satellites to be launched sequentially starting in 2006. The series forms the space segment of the EUMETSAT Polar System and represents the European contribution to a new cooperation with the USA marking a new era in global weather monitoring and forecasting.

MetOp-A was launched on 19 October 2006 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, on a Soyuz ST rocket with a Fregat upper stage.

First EPS/MetOp workshop
 
The first EUMETSAT Polar System/MetOp Research Announcement of Opportunity workshop has been organised by ESA and EUMETSAT from 15-17 May 2006 at ESRIN, ESA’s Earth observation centre in Frascati, Italy.


 
MetOp carries five European state-of-the-art instruments and a set of well-proven instruments that have been providing valuable data from US satellites. The payload includes the following instruments:

A-DCS (Advanced Data Collection System)
AMSU-A1 & -A2 (Advanced Microwave Sounding Units)
ASCAT (Advanced Scatterometer)
AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer)
GOME-2 (Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2)
GRAS (Global Navigation Satellite System Receiver for Atmospheric Sounding)
HIRS/4 (High Resolution Infrared Sounder)
IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer)
MHS (Microwave Humidity Sounder)
SARP-3 (Search And Rescue Processor)
SARR (Search And Rescue Repeater)
SEM-2 (Space Environment Monitor)



Release date: 16 May 2006