ESA - Living Planet Programme - MetOp - MetOp launch campaign resumed

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Peter Edwards – ESA MetOp Project Manager Eva Oriol-Pibernat - ESA MetOp Mission Manager Marc Cohen - EUMETSAT MetOp Programme Manager Mike Mignogno, NOAA's Polar Programme Manager Dieter Klaes – EPS Programme Scientist Industrial partners

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MetOp launch campaign resumed

19 September 2006

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The instruments have to be cleaned as part of the launch campaign activities.

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

Credits: ESA - K. Büchler

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Activities concerning the maintenance and preparation of the solar array after the storage period are completed.

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

Credits: ESA - K. Büchler

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MetOp-A will be launched on a Soyuz/ST Fregat rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Once MetOp has reached its orbital altitude of 800 km above the surface of the Earth and in the correct position, the solar array, which is on the zenith side of the satellite, is gently deployed to face the Sun. This procedure takes up to 17 minutes and happens in two stages. Initially, the solar array arm rotates 120° up and over. Then, the large eight-section panel opens out.

Credits: ESA - AOES Medialab

Launch diary

MetOp launch status Europe's first polar-orbiting weather satellite ready for launch Integration of MetOp upper-composite and third-stage complete Safe arrival at the launch facility for MetOp MetOp encapsulated in fairing MetOp integrated with Fregat upper-stage MetOp to be launched in October Launch of MetOp-A postponed MetOp ready for launch Upper-composite transferred to launcher integration facility Last-ever look at MetOp MetOp joins Fregat upper-stage MetOp fuelled and pressurised MetOp-A gets green light for 17 July launch date MetOp – last phase of testing before launch MetOp satellite shipped to Baikonur on 18 April

In depth

Soyuz launch vehicle Baikonur