Liquid nitrogen delivery for MetOp-SG-B1

Testing the MetOp-SG-B1 satellite in the thermal-vacuum chamber at Airbus’ facilities in Toulouse, France, needs one truck of liquid nitrogen every day. Creating extreme hot and cold temperatures in a vacuum is a challenging process. To achieve this, the chamber is lined with black metal, through which this liquid nitrogen, at –192°C, circulates to simulate the coldness of space.

The MetOp-Second Generation mission comprises three successive pairs of satellites to deliver data for weather forecasting and climate prediction for over 20 years. Working as a pair in polar orbit, the A-type and the B-type satellites are equipped with complementary suites of instruments to provide high-resolution measurements of temperature, precipitation, clouds, winds, and more.

Read full story: First all-new MetOp complete and sibling in testing